Sometimes Goodbye Is A Second Chance
by TheLostRelic
Summary: Percy and Annabeth have been best friends since childhood, but their friendship starts to splinter, and when Percy discovers that he will be moving, it all but collapses. Percy leaves on a bitter note, that leaves them in regret. However, when Percy returns junior year and they get a second chance, what will happen? Will they forgive each other or will they only grow farther apart?
1. The Story Begins

**The Story Begins**

Percy looked up with a smile on his face as he saw his best friend Annabeth scribble away at her geometry homework. He noticed the way that strands of her golden, curly hair continually fell upon her face, and he gently pushed them aside. Annabeth looked up in surprise, her eyes narrowing, and Percy felt himself blush.

"Sorry! It just looked like it might have been annoying you." he stammered in defense, as Annabeth gave him a quizzical look.

"Whatever Seaweed Brain, just get back to your math homework." she laughed, diverting her attention to her homework.

Percy flushed and quickly stared at his paper again, but none of the numbers made any sense to him. He felt that familiar sense of frustration coming on and anticipated the familiar temptation to distract himself that would inevitably come shortly after. Percy looked up at his best friend again fondly as she stuck her pencil behind her ear and reviewed her work.

Percy sighed. Annabeth was getting prettier and prettier as the days went by. Being in the 8th grade meant a lot of awkward changes for everyone. Some people started to shoot up in height, others developed facial hair, and still others remained the same. Percy was unfortunate enough to fall into the later category. He was still as scrawny as he always had been, making him an easy target for bullies.

In Annabeth's case, however, she was becoming a goddess. Gone was the nerdy 6 year old he met in elementary school. She had swapped her glasses for contacts, and they did wonders to bring out her eyes. They were stormy gray, looking simultaneously beautiful and intimidating. Her messy golden hair had suddenly decided to behave itself and fell down in neat ringlets across her shoulders.

Percy pushed his long raven hair out of his eyes and sat deep in thought. He was getting increasingly worried as the days went by. Annabeth's transformation was incredibly disconcerting to him and he felt like he would lose his friend any day now. He knew that Annabeth would eventually get her head out of her books and realize that she was gorgeous. She would probably become one of those popular kids that owned the school and drove boys insane.

He couldn't help but feel insecure. After all, Annabeth was his closest and dearest friend. They were inseparable and had been through everything together. Losing her was the thing that he feared the most. Recently, Percy's feelings for Annabeth were beginning to span the realm of platonic affection, which only confused and agitated him further. Of course, he never said anything because if he did, Annabeth would slap him silly.

_I am such a loser... _Percy thought bitterly to himself.

Percy had dyslexia and ADD, so school was a never ending struggle for him. In fact, without Annabeth's help, he wouldn't have been able to keep up. Everyday he and Annabeth would do homework together and she would keep him focused or help him whenever he got too stuck or confused. Apart from that, he was still scrawny and the choice target for every bully in his school. To add to injury, it would be Annabeth who would save him from being torn apart at the hands of his malevolent classmates. Percy wasn't good at sports with the exception of swimming, but that was because his father had been an Olympic swimmer back in his prime.

To put it bluntly, Percy felt he was an absolute failure. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Annabeth picked up on this and ditched him for good, but for now, he was glad that she was oblivious.

"What's wrong? Don't understand the worksheet?" asked Annabeth, snapping him out his musings.

"Umm, yeah..." he lied, not wanting her to know what he was really thinking about.

Annabeth scooted over to him and surveyed the problem he had been stuck on for the last 20 minutes. She looked up at him, eyes glistening and began explaining the solution to him, but Percy was too fixated on her looks to hear anything she was saying.

"And then, because you know the other two sides, you can use the Pythagorean Theorem to solve for the hypotenuse. Percy are you even listening?!" she said angrily, noticing the dopey smile on his face and how his eyes were glazed over.

"Huh, what? Yeah, I got it. Use the theorem to solve for the long side, got it." he said flashing her a smile and giving her a thumbs up.

Annabeth looked pleased with herself and watched him finish the rest of the problem. She waited patiently as he worked his way down the rest of the worksheet, and she would only interrupt to make him focus or point out an error in his work. Within 20 minutes the sheet was finished and Percy's mom called the pair of them over for dinner.

Percy gave Annabeth a mischievous grin and said, "Race you to the table, Wise Girl."

Annabeth's eyes twinkled brightly and she returned a smile, "You are so on, Seaweed Brain." she said with a grin.

Those were the nicknames that they had for each other since they were in grade school. Annabeth called him that after she noticed his affinity for water and he called her that because of her superlative intelligence. At first, being called Seaweed Brain annoyed Percy, but over time, the term had become endearing and he began to love it when she called him that.

They took off and of course, Annabeth beat him there. Percy didn't mind too much, Annabeth was a great athlete, so there was no shame in losing. Percy didn't subscribe to the whole gendered binary thing - girls could do anything that boys could, including sports. They sat down and wolfed down the sandwiches that Sally Jackson, Percy's mom, had prepared.

"Annabef, wanna play baskeball afteh we uh done eatin?" Percy asked, his mouth full of bread. Annabeth nodded vigorously and Percy's mother chastised her son for talking with his mouth full. Annabeth giggled, thinking that Percy was adorable when he did that.

After the pair of them had finished with their food, they ran out of his apartment eagerly and played basketball until Annabeth's father came by and picked her up. Annabeth gathered her things quickly and then ran into her dad's silver Mercedes. She rolled down the window and waved to Percy, both of them wearing huge smiles.

When Annabeth pulled out of his driveway and left, Percy put his hands in his pockets and kicked around a few pebbles on the road before he went back indoors. Percy put away all of his things, took a relaxing shower, and dressed in his pajamas. Once he entered his room, he pulled open the window and swung onto the fire escape and clambered up to the roof of his apartment complex. The roof was slanted, but Percy had found a flat protrusion that made for a perfect seat. He sat down and hugged his knees, drawing them in close, as he looked up staring at the stars.

This was Percy's refuge where he went whenever he was feeling stressed or upset and he needed a break. Recently however, he had been coming up here almost every single day. Things at school were consistently getting worse - homework was overwhelming, the kids were cruel, and Percy was moving down the social hierarchy. Percy was an outcast - hated by the majority of his school and apart from Annabeth, his only friends were Grover Underwood and Nico Di Angelo.*

Grover was Percy's best male friend and an incredibly nice guy. However, at childhood, his legs were racked with polio attacks and the doctors had to do everything they could to give him the ability to walk. Due to this fact, his legs were severely weakened and he had to limp around like a cripple. This also made him an easy target for the bullies in school. Nico was a dark and brooding guy on the outside, but he was actually ridiculously energetic once you got to know him. The three of them made up the bottom of the social order and were constantly subjected to harassment by their class mates. However, that made them incredibly loyal to each other and they were incredibly close.

Percy absent-mindedly circled his fingers around a vicious purple bruise on his ribs, one of his many "souvenirs" from school. Luke Castellan, the most popular kid in school and Percy's mortal enemy, had done that to him earlier that same day. Luke made it his mission to make every single day of Percy's life a living hell, and he was very good at his job. Percy always acted like it didn't faze him, but Luke's tormenting him was escalating to unbearable levels. The worst part of it all was that Annabeth was head over heels for the guy and she never believed Percy when he told her that he was a scumbag.

_That's the worst part. She never believes me. How can she like a jerk like that?! _Percy thought in exasperation. Annabeth's relationship with Luke bothered him more than anything, but he was powerless to make her realize what was going on.

Percy punched the ledge next to him in frustration, skinning his knuckles. Ignoring the pain, Percy gritted his teeth and forced himself to stare at the stars. For some reason, Percy felt calm gazing upon them. Maybe because the sheer scale of the cosmos made his problems feel insignificant, and while that might unnerve most people, Percy found solace in that thought. It comforted him to know that in the context of time and space, his problems really didn't matter that much. However, that didn't make them any less painful when he had to endure them.

15 minutes later, Percy walked down the fire escape and slipped into his room. He walked over to his bed and plopped down on the springy mattress and he pulled the covers over his head, trying to drown out the world and his problems. Percy surrendered to sleep and escaped the hell that was his life. Little did Percy Jackson know that his life was about to change...

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! This is my second fanfiction, so I am pulling in more characters from the series. Luke, Thalia, Nico, Beckendorf, Silena, Rachel, the Stolls, and more will make appearances. I decided to dabble with third person, but I might change back to first person; it remains tentative. I'll be sure to add more dialogue in the next chapter - this was just an intro, so there wasn't too much conversation.**

**At first glance, the plot might seem cliche, but I intend on adding in some of my own flair to spice up the story. For those of you who have read my other story, you know that I may be many things but cliche is definitely not one of them. For any new comers, be sure to give my other story, "Demigod Adventures at Goode High", a read - it's quite good. As always: Follow, Favorite, and Review. **

***Nico, Thalia, and Luke will all be in Percy's grade for the sake of cohesiveness and general ease of writing.**


	2. Harsh Dose of Reality

**Note: There's strong language used in this story.**

**Harsh Dose of Reality**

**Percy's POV:**

"Percy! Wake up!" my mother called from the kitchen. I opened my eyes hesitantly, trying to adjust to the light. Sizzling noises came from the kitchen as my mother made breakfast. It took every ounce of willpower in my body to pull myself out of my comfortable bed. That and the fact that I was the school punching bag.

After I brushed my teeth, I stepped into the shower and relished the warm water as it ran down my body. Then I stepped out and pulled on a black striped, blue half sleeve shirt, and a pair of black jeans. I didn't bother with my hair, it never stayed put anyways. My mother put two blue blueberry pancakes on a plate for me as I slipped into my chair. I inhaled my pancakes, slipped on my backpack, and went outside to my bus stop. The bus pulled up to my stop and I got on reluctantly.

_Time for another "wonderful" day at school. _I thought grumpily.

The bus was packed and I shuffled to the middle of the bus and sat down as inconspicuously as I could.

Too bad it didn't work.

Luke and his friends, Ethan Nakamura and Adam Banks, got on the bus, laughing at some joke that Adam had just made. As they passed me to sit at the back, all of them took turns swatting my head. It was early in the morning so I didn't bother giving them a glare. After all, I would have plenty of opportunities later when they were beating the living daylights out of me.

When the bus finally stopped at school, I got off as quickly as I could, eager to escape Luke and his friends. I didn't make it far when three pairs of strong hands seized me mid-stride and pulled me back. Ethan locked my arms behind my back as Adam and Luke walked in front of me, both wearing malevolent grins.

Luke ruffled his hair and his blue eyes had a murderous glint in them. I glared back at them, determined to deny them the satisfaction of seeing how terrified I really was.

"Look at him Banksy, completely helpless." he said laughing at Adam.

Adam grinned, "Like a rat caught in a trap, Luke." he said.

"Let me go, you guys. Don't you have something better to do with your time, like sticking your heads in meat grinders or something?" I spat at them, glaring daggers at them.

The boys looked at themselves and laughed. "Ethan, I think he needs to be taught some manners. Hey, retard, we're feeling generous today, so we'll let you pick how you want to get hurt." said Luke, bending down so that his face was in front of mine, a grin on his face.

"Your lucky choices are: Toilet or Garbage Can!" he said happily as his goons guffawed behind him.

Then I did something that was incredibly satisfying, but something that would have killed me. I spat in his face and smirked, daring him to attack me.

Luke's smile vanished and he wiped his eyes. After he finished, he turned back to me, his eyes turning icy. Without warning, he punched me in the stomach as hard as he could. I coughed loudly and attempted to break free of my captors. Seeing as how I couldn't, I looked up and gave him a wry smile.

"You think you're funny, you little shit? You don't even know what I could do to you." he snarled, but I stared him down, not giving an inch.

"Do your worst, fuckface." I whispered, giving him a knowing smile.

Luke snapped and slapped me across the face. Stars danced in front of my eyes, but I looked up at him, maintaining my smile and glare. Adam swore and punched me in the ribs. I coughed out a little bit of blood, doubling over in pain. Ethan released me, and viciously kicked me in the ribs. Then they all took turns kicking and punching me as I curled on the ground, shutting out the world, seeking escape from the pain.

I had taught myself a long time ago how to withstand their beatings. I would disengage from the world, and view my own body as an outside observer. Then I would think about Annabeth and our childhood memories. It didn't completely remove the pain, but it definitely drowned out the worst of it.

"Shit, you guys, it's Annabeth. We have to stop." Luke said urgently as Adam and Ethan quickly pulled me up. I did my best to act boneless, to give them a hard time, but they just punched me in the ribs. They drew me up and made me look presentable. Luke draped his arm over my shoulder and laughed like we were having a good time.

I looked up to try to see Annabeth walking towards us, but my vision was incredibly hazy. When it cleared up, I saw Annabeth standing in front of the four of us with a huge smile on her face. She looked amazing - she was wearing a purple shirt and jeans. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and looked like a fountain of gold.

"Hey Luke! Oh, wow, Percy what're you doing here? It's nice to see you guys hanging out." she asked in surprise.

"Oh yeah! Percy here, was telling me all about what happened in science class yesterday when Chris Mueller laughed so hard, that milk came out his nose!" said Luke, coolly.

Annabeth looked at me expectantly, as though she wanted me to continue.

"Umm, yeah." I said weakly, when I felt Adam prod me harshly.

"You guys go on ahead, I'll walk Annabeth to her class." said Luke as he left me standing with Adam and Ethan.

Annabeth blushed and smiled. They both turned around and walked to school. Luke turned around to make sure I was watching and then he slipped her arm around Annabeth's waist and drew her towards him. He gave me a sly smirk and diverted his attention to Annabeth again.

All the blood in my face drained and I looked at him with hate in my eyes. Luke had found my weak spot. When physical abuse wasn't enough, he would go after Annabeth and touch her or hug her. That was the worst. I mean, getting beat up everyday was bad enough, but this... this I couldn't escape from. I grit my teeth in fury and I heard Adam and Ethan snicker behind me.

I burst and I viciously attacked them, fighting heart and soul to escape. Ethan howled as I punched him in the face, breaking his nose. Adam tried to kick me, but I caught his foot mid-swing and pulled it up making him lose balance and fall. I sat on Adam and punched him in the face over and over again, trying to quench my rage.

Ethan hauled me off of him and together they kicked me viciously for a while before dumping me in the garbage can. After they left, I cautiously hauled myself out of the garbage can, wiped the blood off my face, and limped into school. As I walked, I assessed the damage.

_Okay, four nasty bruised scattered around my body. My ribs feel like crap, but it's nothing a few days of rest won't heal. All in all, it sucks but I broke Ethan's nose and Banksy looks like he got run over by a steamroller. _I thought to myself grimly, and I permitted myself to wear a weak smile.

I made it to my locker and pulled out my extra deodorant that was there for situations like this. After I stopped smelling like trash, I walked into Social Studies.

The rest of the morning went by uneventfully. Luke and his buddies harassed me, the teachers gave me boat loads of homework, Annabeth left me at lunch to sit with Luke and his friend group. I groaned mentally as I saw her sit down next to him and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

I pulled up a seat with Nico and Grover. Grover gave me a worried look and Nico gave me a look, demanding an explanation. I had promised them in first hour that I would tell them what happened at lunch. I sighed wearily and recounted the story.

Grover put down his enchilada and gaped, and Nico's face paled and I could see fury in his eyes as I spoke. I tried to breeze over it and make it sound like it wasn't a big deal, but they didn't buy it.

"I am going to kill that jerk. He honestly did that to Annabeth, and she let him?" Nico asked angrily. Both of them knew that I had feelings for Annabeth even though I vehemently denied it.

I nodded sadly. This had been bugging me all day. "Yeah. I don't know guys. What does she see in him? I feel so hopeless and she never believes me when I tell her that he's a jerk. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I feel like I am losing her to that asshole." I mumbled angrily.

Grover chewed on his enchilada thoughtfully. "Hmm. Well Percy, Annabeth's a smart girl and a loyal friend. Even if she likes Luke, she would never abandon you. Trust her more." he said solemnly and Nico and I stared at him. He looked at us with a confused expression on his face.

"Dude, when did you get so wise?" I asked him in awe and Nico nodded, equally as surprised. Grover just shrugged and resumed eating his enchilada.

"Don't know, but it's some good advice. I would take it." he said wisely and I sighed.

"You're right. I'll do my best to trust her, but if that monster does anything to her I will skin him alive." I growled.

Nico smirked and Grover wore a resolute expression. "Don't do it without us. I'll hold him down and Grover can hit him with his crutches." Nico said with a smirk and Grover nodded grimly.

I laughed and gave them a grateful smile. "Did I ever tell you guys that you are the greatest friends anyone could have asked for?" I said happily.

"You could do to mention it more. Now come on we have to get to Mrs. Dodds class, you don't want to be late. She's a monster." Nico said teasingly.

I laughed again and the three of us stood up and made our way to class. Nothing much happened for the rest of the day. It was pretty much a repeat of the morning. The bell rang and signaled the beginning of our migration to our last class.

_Finally, it was the end of the day. One more hour to go... _I thought to myself eagerly.

My last hour was gym, or physical education, as my teacher, Mr. Davis always reminded us. Mr. Davis was ex-military - the type of guy that didn't accept crap from anyone and thought that everyone of us operated at 120% all day, every day. The students in school called it Boot Camp as a joke, but I thought that it was a perfect description. Today was dodgeball day, and I cracked my knuckles in anticipation. I might be scrawny, but dodgeball was my thing.

"Alright, cupcakes, listen up! I will be picking two captains who will be in charge of choosing teams. Standard dodgeball rules apply. But here's the twist: If you get out, you have to run a lap. Now, Luke and Beckendorf, front and center!" he screamed.

Luke got to the front of the class, and looked around with an arrogant smirk on his face. The girls in the class were swooning over him and trying to make sure that they looked acceptable. Charles Beckendorf, or Beckendorf as we called him, was a giant African American guy, 160 pounds of raw muscle. He was built like a tank, but he was one of the nicer guys in the school. At least, he made an effort to treat me like a human being.

"You want first pick?" asked Beckendorf, being the nice guy that he is.

Luke gave him a curt nod, flashed me a smirk and said, "Annabeth!". I groaned mentally as Annabeth blushed and scurried over to him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and raised his eyebrows at me, trying to provoke me. The girls in the class glared daggers at her.

"I'll take Percy." Beck called out, and I made my way over. It was widely known that I was good at dodgeball, so people picked me pretty quickly. Soon there were two teams and we arranged ourselves at opposite ends of the gym, the balls arranged down the center line.

The shrill sound of a whistle snapped everyone into action. I was the first to make it to the center line. That was because running was my primary defense mechanism against bullies. What happened this morning with Ethan and Adam was a fluke and only because I was livid. I can't really wail on bullies under normal circumstances. I think biologically it's called "Fight or Flight" or something like that. Anyhow, I _don't_ fight, I flee.

_Time to get that son of a gun out. _I thought smugly as I hurled my ball at Luke, but he dodged. Within the first minute of the game, it became clear what their strategy was.

_They're systematically taking out each of our best players. _I thought grimly.

Basically what was happening was all of their players were focusing their fire on individual players on our team. It was a great tactic, undoubtedly cooked up by Annabeth. My team was getting scattered and that only made us sink quicker. By isolating ourselves we made it easier for the other team to hit us.

The icing on the cake of Annabeth's master plan was Luke's role, which he embraced with vigor. Luke's only job the entire game was to keep me running for dear life. He would never target anyone else but me, which made it extremely difficult for me to formulate a cogent strategy.

I groaned as Beckendorf finally got hit by three different balls. All that was left were me and the Stoll brother's, who were absolutely ridiculous. Hitting them in dodgeball was like catching smoke, but I knew that being outnumbered 4 to 1 didn't help our odds. They would focus their fire on them and save me for last. I locked eyes with Annabeth and she wore a smug smirk on her face as she pushed her hair out her eyes.

I felt a burst of annoyance travel throughout my body.

_I refuse to lose to you. _I thought defiantly and my mind raced, piecing together a plan. I smiled secretly to myself and ran up to the Stolls. I quickly whispered my plan to them and they wore devilish grins.

In unison, the three of us released the balls that we were holding and I could hear shock traveling throughout the other team.

"Are they giving up?" someone on the other side mumbled.

_Not even close. _I thought to myself.

Then a ball whipped towards me, Luke having thrown it. I had anticipated this and I smiled. I caught the ball and held it up.

"Castellan you're out, go run a lap. Beckendorf, get back in there." Coach yelled.

Luke shot me a glare as he made his way over to the track.

Beckendorf was the final piece in my master plan, he was absolutely vital. Once he made his way onto the court, I ran up to him and laid out the game plan. Beckendorf smiled and nodded.

The Stolls, Beckendorf, and I ran into a formation - The Stolls in front, me in the center, and Beckendorf in the back. The Stolls were there to catch the balls, I was in the middle to deflect balls and distract the opposition, and Beckendorf was in the back to pelt the other team. He had the best arm so we needed him. This was a perfect counter to Annabeth's strategy since they couldn't aim at Beckendorf or me without getting the Stolls out first.

The four of us quickly began dismantling the opposition until we had the upper hand. Ethan, Adam, and Annabeth were the last ones remaining. Annabeth had remained oddly inactive throughout the entirety of our plan. She had hung back and made little to no effort to get us out. I knew that she was planning something big, but I didn't know what.

"Guys, let's aim for Annabeth. Getting her out is the quickest way to end the game." I said quietly to my teammates and they agreed.

Then Annabeth did something unexpected. She walked straight out into the open and issued a challenge.

"Hey Seaweed Brain, let's do this - you and me, one on one. Let's see if you can get me out without your friends." she called out provocatively.

I frowned. I knew she was trying to bait me into a direct confrontation and that it would eliminate our advantage, but I also knew that backing down would make me seem weak. Ultimately, I decided to refuse - I was already seen as a weakling, no reason I should fight the image.

I gave her a smile. "Fat chance, Wise Girl. Have fun running your laps!" I called out as the four us threw our balls at her simultaneously.

Miraculously, Annabeth stayed in the game, but Adam and Ethan got out. Annabeth frowned and she raced over to pick up two balls. She began to throw them as quickly as she could. She threw both at one of the Stolls and Connor got confused. He was hit and he groaned as he made his way off the court.

"Guys we can't let her catch anything - we have to be careful." I cautioned.

"Hey Travis! Katie Gardener has a huge crush on you." she called out to Travis.

Travis froze in place and stuttered, "Wait, what?" Travis had a massive crush on Katie Gardener, but he always thought that she hated his guts. He wished that he could ask her out, but he was too nervous to.

"Travis, she's playing you man! Focus!" I called out, but it was too late. Travis was too distracted to avoid the dodgeball that flew at him.

He left the court with a confused and hopeful expression on his face. I groaned.

"Guess it's only me and you, Beckendorf." I mumbled and he nodded grimly.

Annabeth went crazy - she started running around insanely, making it impossible for us to hit her, and she threw numerous balls at us, making it hard for us to dodge.

"She's a fighter, I'll give her that." Beckendorf said grumpily and I nodded in agreement.

Then a plan formed in my mind. "Hey Annabeth!" I called out with a grin.

"What Seaweed Brain, you surrender?" she replied.

"Nope, I just wanted to tell you that Luke is going to ask you out after school." I said hoping to distract her.

It did the trick. She blushed furiously and hesitated for a fraction of a second. It was all I needed to hit her straight in the stomach.

Beckendorf rushed over to me and grinned, clapping me on the back.

"Nice shot Perce." he said with a smile and I returned one.

My team rushed out and began to congratulate me, but I pulled away from them and tried to find Annabeth. She was getting up and brushing dust off of her jeans. I made my way towards her and smiled triumphantly.

"Nice game, Wise Girl." I said brightly.

"You too, Seaweed Brain. You're getting smarter - the formation was genius. I guess some of my smarts must be rubbing of on you." she said with a tinge of pride in her voice.

I rolled my eyes. "Are you honestly taking credit for my victory." I said cheekily.

"You know it, and you better get used to it too." she said with a grin.

"Listen Annabeth, I was wondering if yo-" I began, ruffling my hair, when Luke cut me off.

"Hey Annabeth!" he called out as he walked up behind her. Annabeth blushed and turned to face him, completely ignoring me. I frowned and felt incredibly disappointed.

"Hey Luke." she mumbled shyly. She started toying nervously with her hair and I scowled. Annabeth acted like a completely different person around him... all girly and stuff. It annoyed me to no end.

"You did amazingly. If Jackson here hadn't wimped out on your challenge, he would've lost." he said snidely and I clenched my fists.

"Just because I was smart, doesn't mean I am a wimp." I said, gritting my teeth. This kid really got under my skin and knew exactly how to piss me off.

"Don't try to hide the fact that you knew you were going to lose to a girl." Luke replied.

"There's no shame in losing to a girl - they're just as good at everything that boys are." I said hotly.

"Spoken like a true loser, Jackson." he said with a smirk.

I advanced angrily towards him when Annabeth stopped me.

"Percy's right Luke, there's nothing wrong with losing to a girl and what he did was smart. I was hoping to bait him, but he wasn't an idiot so he didn't fall for it." she reasoned logically.

My heart soared and began to beat faster.

_Annabeth's actually defending me in front of Luke? _I thought to myself excitedly.

Luke shook it off. "Whatever. I'll walk you to the buses. Wait for me?" he asked her and then the moment passed. She went all girly again and agreed, blushing all the while.

"Cool. See you later." he said with a nod and then he went to the locker room.

Annabeth turned to me. "So Percy, what was that you were going to say?" she said brightly, a happy grin on her face.

"Well.." I started but I noticed how happy she looked. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I wanted her to come over to my house later to study. She looked like she was too busy thinking about Luke.

I shook my head and mumbled, "It's nothing. Have fun with Luke." I said flatly.

Annabeth gave me a grateful nod, not picking up on my disappointment. She walked away to the locker rooms and I did so as well.

When I finished getting dressed I heard some snickers and a whimper coming from a few lockers down. I buttoned my jeans and made my way over to the sounds, curious to see what was going on. I froze at the sight of what I saw.

Luke and his cronies were holding Grover up by the scruff of his neck, taking turns punching him. I instantly felt rage and adrenaline course through my body.

I hurled myself at Adam and punched him in the face. He hit a locker and collapsed. Then before the rest of them could react I punched Ethan in the arm pit and he crumpled instantly. Luke and his other friend, Matt Sloan released Grover and walked towards me.

"Oh, I have been so waiting for this Jackson. Your precious Annabeth isn't here to save you now." he sneered, but I advanced towards him.

Luke took a swing, but I ducked and kicked him in the shins. He howled in pain, but Matt punched me. I hit the lockers and stars danced in front of my eyes.

"You are so dead, Jackson." said Luke murderously as he stood up.

I couldn't recover quick enough to prevent Luke and Matt from reaching me. Matt grabbed my arms and held them above me head and then he stomped viciously down on my foot. I cried out in pain and then Luke punched me in the stomach. I coughed and blood flew out of my mouth.

"You like that Jackson? Not so funny now is it." Luke growled at me as he repeatedly punched me in the stomach.

"Annabeth. Is. Mine." he spat out in between punches.

I looked up at him with hate and somehow kicked Matt in the groin. He released my hand and my eyes gleamed murderously. Luke cowered before me.

"What are you going to do Luke? None of your buddies are here to help you. You're so pathetic you can't take me on unless it's 3 on 1." I said with a smirk.

I punched him in the face before he could react. He hit the lockers and fell. I walked up towards him and grabbed him by the collar. I shoved him roughly against the wall and I leaned close to his ear.

"Annabeth's not here to save you now Luke." I whispered softly and I could feel him trembling with fear.

"Percy! What are you doing? Leave him alone!" I heard a voice behind me and I turned around.

It was Annabeth. Somehow she had come into the locker room and caught me.

"Annabeth! Thanks for saving me! Percy got angry at me for calling him a wimp and he attacked me and my friends." Luke whimpered, tearing up.

"Oh, Luke it's alright." she said tenderly and I winced.

"Percy let him go. You're such an ass!" she screamed at me and my heart fell.

"Annabeth don't defend this creep, he and his buddies were attacking Grover. I fought to protect him." I said getting angry.

"Then where is he?" asked Annabeth, crossing her arms across her chest.

I pointed over to where he was standing, but he was no longer there. He must have left in the middle of the fight to get help.

"Give him a second he'll be here. He probably went to get help." I explained.

"No! He's lying Annabeth. Don't trust a word he says." Luke said from behind me.

I shoved him into the locker again and grit my teeth. "Shut up Castellan!" I roared.

"No! Percy leave him alone now! You're a jerk and I hate you!" Annabeth screamed from behind me.

I turned to her, my eyes filled with sorrow. "You don't mean that." I whispered, hoping - no pleading, that she would agree.

She walked up to me and slapped me across the face. I blinked and my cheek throbbed, but what hurt more than the slap was what it signified.

"Annabeth please. Trust me. I'm your best friend." I whispered hoarsely.

"You were. I don't even know who you are anymore! You're so wrapped up in hate and anger that you've changed!" she said throwing her arms up in exasperation.

"I haven't changed at all! Everything around me has just gone to Hades!" I protested.

"I'm not interested in what you have to say and I don't ever want to see you again. Come on Luke, let's go." she said and she grabbed Luke from me.

He tottered behind her and then turned to give me a snide smile. He wrapped his arm around her waist again and together they walked out of the room.

I stood there, numb. Tears began welling up in my eyes as I stood in that locker room.

I am Percy Jackson - I do not cry.

No matter how bad it got, I never cried. Even when Luke and his buddies beat me till I lost consciousness, I didn't cry. Even when Luke wrapped his arm around Annabeth's waist and pulled her close to him, I didn't cry. Even when my classmates called me a retard and my teachers said I was hopeless, I didn't cry.

But this time... This time I had lost my best friend. Probably forever. Over some horrible misunderstanding.

I swore loudly as the tears poured relentlessly down my face. I swore repeatedly and then punched the lockers as hard I could. My skin peeled off and began to bleed; my knuckles were in bad shape, but I didn't care. Nothing could ever match the pain that Annabeth's last words to me inflicted.

_I'm not interested in what you have to say and I don't ever want to see you again._

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for not updating as quickly. I can only update once a week with this story. I was bogged down with a lot of school work and I had some major writer's block. Anyhow, I am going on vacation starting Wednesday. I won't be back till Monday, so I'll try to turn out another chapter before I leave, but I highly doubt it. **

**Major note - With this series, I am going to be manipulating Percy's personality and all of the other characters. Bottom line - they might not be in character, but I don't particularly care. **

**Thanks for reviewing and reading! Once again, give my other story a read - you'll love it if you like this one. As always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**

**Trivia Question: Adam Banks is a fictional character in which famous Disney Movie? **

**Answer for fun if you know. I love his character in the movie and I don't mean to make him a jerk, I just needed someone to add to Luke's posse. **


	3. The Three Musketeers

**The Three Musketeers**

**Percy's POV:**

You know that feeling when your whole world turns upside down and you get nauseating feelings of vertigo? That's how I felt when Annabeth walked out of that locker room with Luke feeling her up. My heart felt like it was torn up into a million different pieces and my throat had a painful lump that refused to die down. After I patched myself up, I limped out of the locker room, my head spinning. There were dark and heavy thoughts proliferating, and circulating in my brain.

Opening my locker, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and walked to my bus. I plopped down in a seat and stared out of the window, resting my face on my arms. I must have been giving off some bad vibes because everyone left me alone for once. Dark emotions swirled around in my stomach. A most wonderful brew of anger, jealousy, regret, betrayal, hurt, and defeat. One cup of that delightful concoction in the morning is guaranteed to make your day crappy.

_Way to go, Perce. You just lost the only person that you've probably cared about. _I thought to myself, a bitter taste in my mouth.

Little did I know that my day was about to get a lot worse.

I stepped out of the bus and the crisp October air rushed up to greet me. I took a look up at the sky. It was pale blue and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The sun shone brightly, mocking me and my feelings. I cursed under my breath, greatly irritated by how lovely the weather was when I felt like crap.

After I made it to my apartment, I walked up the stairs, and walked into my house. I slung my backpack on the sofa and ripped off my shoes as I made my way over to the kitchen. My mother would usually be there, cooking or something after she got back from work. My mom was the most wonderful woman in the world. She worked at a nearby candy store, but she was an aspiring writer. She had recently sent her first novel to a publisher and was awaiting a response.

"Mom! I'm home. Do we have anything to eat? I am starved." I said as I slipped into my chair.

I didn't get a response which unnerved me. My mom was always home from the candy store where she worked by now.

"Mom?" I called out again, worry evident in my voice.

Still no response.

I cautiously slipped out of my chair and made my way over to the bedrooms, trying to find her. It took me a second to register that she was talking quietly to someone.

"Yes... Yes... I understand that, but is there any way that I can get in touch with a representative here? What do you mean no? This is New York City for Pete's sake, you have to have some sort of branch here." she said in exasperation over the phone.

I stood quietly outside her bedroom door and listened in to the conversation.

I heard her sigh heavily and then say, "Fine. I'll get ready. Give me some time to tell my son, he's not going to take this well... Thank you, I'll be calling you soon." she said, her voice filled with resignation and weariness.

In a second, I realized that her phone call had just ended so I ran stealthily back to the living room and plopped down on the sofa, besides my backpack and turned the TV on. Out of the corner of my eye however, I focused intently on the hallway, waiting for my mom to come back. In a few seconds, I could hear her walking down the hallway. As she passed through the hallway, her face transformed from one of worry to a hastily pieced smile. I frowned, wondering what was going on.

"Percy! How was school? I'll grab some food for you. I made your favorite cookies today!" she said happily and I smiled.

"Yeah that would be great! Thanks mom!" I said, my voice filled with relief.

Leave it to my mother to comfort me after the rest of my day had been awful. She walked over with a plate of blue cookies. They weren't as warm as I would have liked, but the chocolate chips were still gooey. After she handed me the plate, she plopped down beside me and together we devoured the cookies. Then my mother looked up at me in worry.

"Percy, what happened to your face?" she said in concern.

"It's nothing mom, don't worry about it." I said casually, hoping to breeze it off.

"It's that Luke boy isn't it." she said grimly, pursing her lips.

I laughed nervously. "No, I just fell down the stairs this morning." I said quickly.

I mentally face palmed. That is by far the worst excuse ever made.

"I know that you're not telling the truth, Percy. Talk to me. I need to help you." she said sympathetically.

I swallowed and looked up at the ceiling. "Annabeth said that she doesn't want to be my friend anymore." I said painfully, my throat tightening uncomfortably.

"Oh, I'm sure she didn't mean it Percy. Give her a few days to cool off, she'll come around." my mother said comfortingly.

"No, mom, this time she's serious. She said that she never wanted to see me again." I said sadly.

"Now what made her say that?" she asked inquisitively.

Then before I could help it, I began to spill everything that I had been holding back from her since the year started. I told her about Luke and his friends, about how badly my school mates treated me, and how my teachers thought I was stupid. Then I finally got around to what happened today. The entire time, my mother said nothing, only listening intently.

After I finished she sighed. "Percy, you should have told me about these things before. I could've helped you." she said.

I felt guilty. Ever since the entire school had decided to treat me like trash, I had started to clam up and I barely talked to her anymore.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I thought that you wouldn't be able to help." I said honestly.

"Percy, I am your mom. My only job is to take care of you. Now I'll give you some advice. Tomorrow, go talk with Annabeth and bring Grover along to vouch for you and tell her what really happened. That way she can't deny you anymore. Then second, have a talk with Luke. Tell him that you won't stand for his bullying anymore. I know that Luke is scared of you and you might not realize that. Maybe you can intimidate him away from you." my mom said.

I thought about what she had said. It all sounded really good and made some sense to me, but I wasn't sure that it was going to work. I sighed.

"Annabeth won't let me talk to her and even if I could, she would just say that Grover was lying for me. There's also no way Luke would ever leave me alone." I said bitterly.

"Percy, I know that this is hard, but you have to make an effort. You also need to accept that Annabeth is changing and that there is nothing you can do to stop that, no matter what you might want. All I can tell you is that you have to learn how to befriend people that will treat you right. Remember, you should always strive to live honestly even if the rest of the world doesn't. You'll find people - good people are like magnets, they can always find each other." she said with a smile.

I was silent, and I knew that she was right. She always was.

"I just can't lose Annabeth. I just feel so helpless, and I don't want to let her go." I said mournfully.

"Percy, Annabeth has changed and she's hurting you. She doesn't even believe you anymore when you have been her best friend for years. I don't know who this Luke boy is, but I can guarantee that he is never going to be as good to her as you were. If she can't appreciate that, then maybe it's time to move on." she said wisely.

She was right, Annabeth was no longer the same innocent girl that she was when I had first met her. She was changing, becoming someone that didn't even trust me and consistently let me down. Maybe I just had to accept that and let her go.

"Percy, I need to talk to you." my mother said quietly and I looked up at her, giving her undivided attention.

"What is it mom?" I asked with concern.

She began slowly. "The publisher just called and told me that my book is getting approved. It will be published next month, but they want us in Chicago for the preparations. I am going to have to do a book tour and everything. Basically, in order for this to turn out alright, I'm going to need to work closely with the publishing house." she explained calmly.

I nodded slowly, not understanding where this was going. "Mom that's great! You can head over to Chicago for a while and once you're done you can come back. I can stay with Thalia and her parents, they won't mind." I said.

"Percy, they want me there for three years, and I want you to come with me." she said flatly.

I froze, and my mind went into overdrive.

"I'm not moving." I said plainly.

"Percy, I know this is hard, but this will be good for us. Think about it! A fresh start. You don't need to be the school's punching bag anymore. I can enlist you in a new school where you don't need to get hurt. You can make friends and you can be happy." she said persuasively.

I cleared my throat. I had no response. She was right. Maybe what I needed was to get away from this all. New York had brought me nothing but pain. Some illogical part of me didn't want to go, but deep down, I felt that this was right.

"What do I tell Nico and Grover?" I asked her quietly.

My mom looked at me in surprise, apparently not anticipating that I would accept so quickly.

"They'll be alright Percy. They're your best friends, they know that you need this and they care about you and want you to be happy. Sure they might not be happy at first, but they're going to accept it." she said in response.

I frowned and looked down at my hands, fidgeting with my key chain. After a long while, I let out a weary sigh.

"Fine. When do we leave?" I asked her.

"In a week. I have to be there at the start of November." my mother said.

_A week._

That didn't give me a lot of time to get my things in order, but I kind of liked it that way. The less time I had to mope and think about the very few good things I had here the better. I felt a strange sense of exhilaration run through my veins.

_Just think! No more bullies! I can be anyone I want to be. I can join sports or drama or music. I can be popular or at least have friends. _The thought was almost too good to be true.

The hardest part was going to be telling Grover and Nico though. I would genuinely miss them and I felt like I was abandoning them in this hell hole.

_Crap, I also have to tell Annabeth... Wait, Annabeth._ I thought unhappily.

No, I wasn't going to tell her anything. I didn't want anything to do with her anymore, she had hurt me too many times.

_It's not like she's going to miss me anyways. _I thought to myself irritably.

I had had enough of her. Let her do whatever she wants. I could finally get her out of my head. That thought was therapeutic and I felt like a load had been taken off of my shoulders. She'd violated my trust time and time again, and for some reason, I held on to her like somehow I was to blame. Sitting there, I thought about all the times that she had done me wrong, all the times she abandoned me, all the times she had trusted Luke over me.

_I am glad I'm leaving. _I thought to myself defiantly.

I allowed myself a grim smile before getting off the couch to begin my homework.

* * *

The next few days were some of the best of my life. With the exception of my mother's suggestions failing disastrously, everything was going pretty well. Everytime someone made a snide or hurtful remark and everytime Luke and his buddies hit me, I couldn't help but smile.

_I'm never seeing any of you jerks again. _I thought to myself gleefully.

Life had taken on a brand new color, and for once I was happy in school. Everybody just thought I was being weird and stuff, but Nico and Grover were worried. As I sat down for lunch on Friday, Grover and Nico looked up at me. Nico leaned towards me and talked in a whisper, as though he was afraid someone might hear.

"Dude, is everything alright? You're acting all happy when everybody has been acting so badly to you." Nico said, his voice filled with concern.

"Nah man, everything's great! I feel amazing!" I said with a grin.

Nico sat back in his chair, but he looked at me suspiciously.

"Well what's gotten you so excited?" asked Grover.

I debated silently as to whether or not I should tell them or not, but I decided against it. I would tell them tonight, in the privacy of my own house.

"I'll tell you guys tonight. You're still coming over right?" I asked.

They both nodded. Every Friday night, the three of us would hang out and play video games at one of our houses. This week, it was going to happen at my house.

"I'll catch you guys later, I have to go to the library and finish up on some math homework." I said as I stood up and left.

As I walked to my locker, I had a cheery smile on my face. I was leaving next Friday, and I couldn't contain my excitement. I had actually taken to the habit of counting down the days on a calendar. I opened my locker and grinned at the giant circle I had drawn in for next Friday. There was even a picture of a plane in the center. Everytime I looked at it, it brightened my day and kept me going strong.

I shut my locker after retrieving my compass and textbook. After I turned around, I froze at the sight I saw before me. Luke was standing, leaning against a wall, talking to Annabeth.

"So Annabeth, I was going to Silena's party this weekend, do you maybe want to go?" asked Luke, leaning coolly against the wall.

Annabeth held her books and looked up at him, blushing.

"You mean like a date?" she asked nervously and Luke grinned, ruffling his hair.

"Yeah, like a date. So are you in?" he asked.

Annabeth went as bright as a tomato and stammered quickly, "Yes! Yes, I would love to go!" she squealed.

"Great, I'll pick you up around 8." Luke said with one final grin.

I grit my teeth and ran to the library as quickly as I could. After pulling up a chair, I noisily crashed my text book against the desk. I quickly stole a glance to see if the librarian was going to come chastise me. After seeing that she wasn't, I buried my head in my hands.

Why was I getting so worked up? I mean, I had given up on Annabeth so I had no right to feel jealous or bad. Despite that, I felt like my heart was slowly being torn in half, like a flower petal being slowly plucked by a sadistic little toddler. I grit my teeth in anger, trying desperately not to lose control of my emotions. I forced myself to take deep breaths and escape into one of my childhood memories with Annabeth.

Then I realized that that would no longer work. I cursed quietly under my breath. I didn't even have that refuge anymore. Annabeth had tainted that memory as well. I groaned quietly in frustration. Finally, I sighed and began my homework.

* * *

"Percy, someone's at the door, go get it!" my mom called from the kitchen. I could hear sounds of water which told me she was doing the dishes.

"Got it, mom!" I called back, as I got off the sofa and made my way to the door.

I opened it and grinned as Nico walked in.

"Hey, man, nice to see you!" he said and I gestured to my house.

"Come on in." I said happily.

I turned up to see Nico's sister, Bianca standing behind him.

"Nico, be back by 11. Oh, hey Percy!" she said with a smile.

"Hey Bianca." I said with a grin.

Bianca was a 9th grader and Nico's older sister. She was one of the only girls that would actually talk to me like I was a human being, and not a germ or a nuisance. Truth be told, I kind of had a crush on her since the 6th grade. She was really pretty after all. She had long brown hair and hazel eyes, and a really pretty smile. Of course, I never told Nico this because he would kill me for having a crush on his sister. I also never told her this because she might think that I was a creep.

_Crap! I should probably tell her about the move. _I thought to myself suddenly.

Bianca and I weren't ridiculously close or anything, but she was still a good friend and she deserved to know.

My throat had suddenly gone dry. "Bianca, do you mind if I talk to you alone for a second?" I asked her.

She gave me a confused look and then nodded.

"Nico, I'll be back in a second, fire up the PS3." I said and he nodded hesitantly. I gave him a look of exasperation and he finally went away.

I closed the front door and stepped outside, stuffing my hands in my pajamas.

"So what did you want to talk about?" asked Bianca, tucking her hair behind her ear.

I sighed. Better to get this over with quickly. Besides, it wasn't like Bianca was going to be sad or anything. She would just act hurt politely and then wish me luck or something.

"I'm moving. To Chicago. For an unknown amount of time." I stuttered breathlessly.

_Wow. Real smooth, Percy. _I thought to myself grimly.

Bianca's eyes widened and then she stood back looking hurt and disappointed. She studied me for a second, as if she was trying to see if I was lying.

"Percy, is this your idea of a practical joke because I don't find this funny at all." she said flatly.

_Aargh! What is it with girl's and not trusting me? I swear to god, this is getting really annoying. _I thought to myself in frustration.

"No, I swear I am telling the truth. Why doesn't anyone believe me anymore!" I said hotly.

Bianca looked up guiltily at me. "Sorry, it's just that you seem like a huge troublemaker. I was wrong to assume after I have known you for so long." she explained.

"So, you're moving to Chicago and you don't know for how long and you might not come back?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's the short of it." I said nodding.

"You don't sound sad about that." she stated.

"I don't know, I feel like I am supposed to be sad and I feel guilty that I don't. But this is what I need. I need a new start. I need to escape from... from all this." I said, gesturing my hands in a circle.

She nodded like she understood. "Are you going to tell Nico? He's going to be heartbroken. You're his best friend you know. He doesn't make friends easy, but you've changed him. You and Grover both have been very good for him." she said earnestly.

"Yeah, I am telling both of them tonight, but I don't know how they'll take it. That's my only regret about leaving this place - leaving them. I just hope they understand." I sighed.

Bianca stood silently for a while, her arms crossed over her chest.

"What about leaving me?" she asked softly, looking up at me.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"Of course I am going to miss you Bianca. I just didn't think that you'd feel the same way." I said honestly, still confused about why she asked.

Her expression softened and before I could process what was happening, she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and a big hug.

"I'm going to miss you, Percy." she whispered into my shoulder and I stood there, completely shocked.

She withdrew quickly and walked away. Before she walked down the stairs, she gave me a wave and a painful smile.

Watching her leave, it occurred to me that maybe Bianca might have also had a crush on me. The thought made me giddy, but I didn't know what to make of it. I mean, I was never going to see her again, so it didn't really matter now, but now I yearned for a relationship that never was. My heart throbbed painfully in my chest for a while and my throat tightened. I shook my head quickly and made my way inside, ready to enjoy my last Friday night ritual before I left.

Grover showed up a while later, and Nico never mentioned my conversation with Bianca out in the hall earlier. My mom helped us order some pizza and we already had some soda in our house. For the rest of the night, the three of us ate food, played video games, and watched movies. It was pretty great, but the realization that I was going to have to tell my best friends about my move was like an elephant in the room.

When the movie ended, Grover and Nico stood up to leave. I took a deep breath and walked in front of them.

"Hey you guys, can you sit down, I have something I want to tell you both." I said and they exchanged surprised looks and then sat back down.

I rubbed my fingers together nervously at my sides, thinking of a way to tell them. I decided on the straight forward approach.

"I am moving to Chicago and I don't know for how long. I leave next Friday." I said and they both gaped at me.

Nico was the first to recover, "When did you know about this?" he asked me slowly, trying to keep his voice level.

"I found out on Tuesday after school." I confessed.

"Will we ever see each other again?" asked Grover, tears welling up in his eyes. He had always been pretty emotional, but this was probably pushing his limits. I mean, we have been best friends since 6th grade, so this must have been pretty hard on him.

I sighed. "I honestly don't know you guys." I said heavily.

Nico and Grover stared at me in silence, trying to process what was happening.

"Listen, you both are my best friends and I hate the thought of leaving you guys behind, but you both know how hard it's been for me here. I need to start again, and give myself an opportunity to know a life that isn't so painful. This is that chance and I'm taking it. I hope you can understand." I said earnestly, hoping that they would understand that I wasn't abandoning them.

Nico spoke first and when he did, he spoke solemnly. "I... I understand. I know how much you need this and you deserve it. After all the crap Annabeth, Luke, and everybody else has been giving you, you have earned the right to a free start. Just do me a favor Perce and don't forget us."

I stood shocked. I had expected Nico to be furious, but he was actually understanding.

"I'm going to miss you Percy!" Grover said with a trembling voice.

I walked over to the both of them and the three of us hugged each other. There was nothing awkward about it. We had been through hell and back. The Three Musketeers. That's who we were.

I pulled back, tears streaming down my face and raised my hand to the center, mimicking a sword.

"All for one." I whispered.

"And one for all." said Grover and Nico painfully.

We each shared painful smiles and then after a little while longer, exchanging goodbyes they left.

That night, I sat on the roof till midnight, staring up at the stars. For some reason, even they couldn't help dull the pain of leaving my two best and most loyal friends.

* * *

**A/N: Hello all! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Things are moving kind of quickly because I want to get to the good stuff, after Percy comes back. I'll be leaving for my cruise vacation tomorrow and I won't be back till Monday. As always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**


	4. I'm Sorry, I Love You

**I'm Sorry, I Love You**

**Annabeth's POV:**

_I'm not interested in what you have to say and I don't ever want to see you again._

The instant that I said those words, my heart instantly fell. I knew that I had hurt Percy, and it hurt me just as much to say that. I was definitely going to have to go and apologize to him later. That was going to be difficult though, I have never really found myself in a position where I had to apologize.

Still, Percy was attacking Luke and I was glad that I stopped him. Luke looked as pale as a ghost when I found him, and truthfully, the entire scene kind of shocked and confused me. Percy was always going on about how Luke was a jerk and did horrible things to him behind my back, but seeing Percy attacking Luke instead was incredibly weird.

I've known Percy since grade school and he doesn't initiate fights. Whatever happened in there must have really set him off. Ultimately, I pushed the thought out of my head - I wasn't going to make up excuses for him.

"Thanks for saving me Annabeth." whispered Luke into my hair.

I looked up at him with a frown, my reverie shattered. I hadn't realized that he had wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him.

I gently pushed his arm off of me and I noticed the familiar flash of annoyance travel through his eyes. My frown deepened as I tried to process why he did that. I looked down at the ground as we started to walk out of the school, deep in thought.

While I like Luke and everything, I respect my personal space and I am not touchy-feely with someone that I just met. The only person, apart from my family, that I feel comfortable with coming into contact with is Percy.

"It's a good thing I found you when I did. Things might have gotten messy." I said lightly.

Luke grinned at me and I felt myself blush. He had a pretty amazing smile.

"Yeah, Jackson kind of went ballistic about being called a wimp. He's such a spaz - he overreacts way too much." Luke said shrugging.

I pursed my lips and clenched my fists in quiet anger. I always got that way when people insulted Percy and I usually told them off, but with Luke I didn't have the courage or strength to do so.

"How did you find me in there anyways? Been to the boys locker room before?" he asked with a devilish grin, not noticing my anger.

I felt my face redden. "I heard shouting as I was walking out and then someone crying out, so I decided to check and see if anything was going on." I said hotly, trying to defend myself.

Luke laughed brightly. "Geez Annabeth, don't get angry with me - I'm just teasing." he said with a smile and I returned one.

We finally made our way to my bus and I got on, but not before shooting him one quick smile again. I sat down and buried my head in my book as my bus made its way back to my house.

* * *

The next day and for the rest of the week, Percy seemed in an oddly good mood. I thought that it was incredibly strange seeing him so carefree and happy after what I did to him yesterday.

_Is he happy that we aren't friends anymore? _I thought in confusion as I studied him while he pulled his geometry book from his locker.

He stopped for a second and stared at something taped to the inside of his locker, and a huge grin came over his face. He stood there with a dopey smile as he looked at it. I raised my eyebrows in curiosity.

_I wonder what was in there?_ I thought inquisitively.

"Annabeth!" I heard a voice call out, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I saw Luke walk over to me, waving with a huge smile on his face. I looked up and gave him a smile.

"So Annabeth, I was going to Silena's party this weekend, do you maybe want to go?" asked Luke as he leaned up against the wall.

I held my books and looked up at him, blushing.

"You mean like a date?" I asked nervously, pushing my luck, and Luke grinned, ruffling his hair.

"Yeah, like a date. So are you in?" he asked.

My heart felt like it was soaring and I went as bright as a tomato and stammered quickly, "Yes! Yes, I would love to go!"

"Great, I'll pick you up around 8." Luke said with one final grin as he walked away.

I turned around with a huge smile, but it vanished instantly as I saw Percy storm off to the library, his eyes filled with pain, hurt, and betrayal.

I opened my mouth to call out to him, but I decided against it.

_He's probably too angry at me to talk to me. _I thought bitterly, hating myself for what I had done to him.

Then suddenly, going to Silena's party with Luke felt meaningless and wrong. For some reason, I felt like I had let Percy down and that I wouldn't feel better until I went and talked to him.

_This weekend, I will definitely go and apologize to him. I need to hear his side of the story too. We can hang out and I'll buy him some ice cream to make up for acting so mean to him. _I thought resolutely and I made my way to Mrs. Dodds math class.

* * *

It was Saturday and I was getting ready to go over to Percy's house. I pulled on my favorite orange camp T-Shirt. It was from a camp that Percy and I went to every summer, and we both loved it. We had a ton of friends there and it was the one place that Percy could truly be himself. I smiled inwardly as I reminisced about the crazy times we had there.

My throat tightened as I looked at myself in the mirror, hating the reflection that I saw. I have always been self-conscious about my appearance and I had decided long ago that it wasn't worth the attention, but that didn't mean that I wasn't insecure about it. I only felt at ease about myself when I was with Percy. With Luke and everyone else, I felt like I had to try to be someone that I wasn't and I felt uncomfortable about that. However, my appearance wasn't the source of my discomfort.

It was Percy. I felt so badly about treating him so poorly and I wanted to make things up to him. The party at Silena's was an absolute disaster - everyone there was popular and I felt really out of place. Half the time I was there, Luke was talking it up with Silena and they were both flirting very obviously. Instead of feeling jealous, I just wanted Percy to be there to comfort me.

After looking over at myself one final time, I walked out of my room and began to walk in the direction of Percy's apartment. I made it halfway there when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and was surprised to see Nico Di Angelo, Percy's friend, standing behind me with a very angry look in his eyes.

"Oh hi, you're Nico right? Percy's friend." I asked politely.

"Cut the crap, I know that you don't care who I am, but I am here on Percy's part. You really screwed with him Annabeth - you've always hurt him and let him down, but this time, you've gone too far. As his best friend, I won't stand to see you hurt him anymore. You better go over to him and apologize right now, you don't know the kind of shit that he has to put up with everyday. The least you could do is try to begin to make up for your mistakes." he growled angrily and my eyes widened at his tirade.

I felt even guiltier than I did before.

"I was actually just on my way over to do just that." I said quietly in embarrassment.

Nico's face softened and then he looked at me sadly.

"Listen Annabeth, I am sorry to lash out at you. It's just that with him moving and everything, I am a little high strung." he said regretfully.

I waived it off. "Oh don't worry about it, wait... What?" I asked, hoping I heard him wrong.

"Percy's moving to Chicago. He didn't tell you?" he asked, cocking his head to the side questioningly.

I crossed my arms over my chest in worry. "No. He didn't say a thing." I said quietly.

"You better go see him - he's leaving next Friday. I know that he'll want to see you." Nico said sadly.

I nodded and began to run towards Percy's apartment.

_Good going Annabeth. You screwed over your best friend and now you're never going to see him again. _I berated myself as I sprinted to his apartment.

* * *

I felt awful and as I ran up to his apartment, a million thoughts flew through my head. I nervously knocked on the door and stood awkwardly, waiting for him to open the door. From inside the apartment, I could hear his mom calling for him to open the door.

The doorknob shook slightly and then I saw him open the door. The smile on his face vanished the instant he saw me.

"What're you doing here?" he asked flatly. I felt like I had just been slapped in the face.

"I came to see you. I heard you were moving. Why didn't you tell me anything?" I demanded after I recovered.

"Because apparently, I no longer have that privilege." He spat out and I recoiled. I had never seen him like this before – bitter and angry.

"Percy…" I began placatingly, but he cut me off.

He put his index finger and thumb on his chin so that he looked like he was thinking.

"What was that you told me again? Oh wait, I remember! 'You're such an ass', 'I hate you', 'I don't care about what you have to say, and I never want to see you again.'" He said bitterly, venom dripping in his words.

My mind was reeling – Percy was absolutely furious, and I couldn't deny anything that he said. I had acted like a complete jerk to him, and I deserved everything that was coming to me, but hearing Percy say all of this was like taking a bullet to the heart.

"Percy, I made a mistake…" I began, my voice filled with hurt and disappointment at myself.

"Yes you did. That's one of the numerous times that you 'made a mistake.'" He said harshly, drawing air quotes.

I felt myself getting angry. Here I was trying to apologize to him, and he was acting like a complete jerk!

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? Now you don't have to be a jerk about it!" I said angrily.

"Oh that's rich..." he said sardonically, and he turned his head to the side, looking down. I opened my mouth to start talking, but he continued talking, effectively cutting me off.

"Well anyhow, you must be pretty pleased, huh? You got your wish; you're never going to see me again." He said bitterly.

I crossed my arms over my chest, like I always do when I feel hurt, angry, or exasperated. Right now, I was feeling a mixture of all three of them.

"Percy, I obviously didn't mean it when I said that. I'm going to miss you." I said exasperatedly.

"Don't do me any favors, Annabeth. You don't have to pretend anymore. I know that the only reason that you hang out with me anymore is because you pity me." He said harshly.

I opened my mouth in shock, trying to find a response.

"Percy, you're my best friend. I don't pity you." I said earnestly.

"Well you could have fooled me. We barely hangout, and whenever we do, all you talk about is Luke. Luke this, Luke that." He ranted angrily.

I felt myself growing angry and for some reason, I felt the need to defend Luke. The image of the scene in the locker room kept popping into my head.

"Don't you bring him into this! I saw what happened in the locker room on Friday." I said angrily, pointing a finger at him.

He threw his arms up in exasperation. "There you go again! Always defending him, never bothering to listen to my side of the story. If you really meant what you said about us being best friends, then you would listen to me!" he said irately.

"Luke is a great guy, greater than you will ever be!" I blurted angrily, and I instantly regretted it.

Percy's beautiful green eyes clouded over and washed over in pain. So much so that it took every fiber in my body not to run over to help him. He began to breathe heavily and then I noticed him close his eyes, and calm himself.

"You don't need to protect her anymore, she's changed and she doesn't care about you." He muttered under his breath.

Before I could respond, he opened his eyes and I could see a burning fire inside of them. It was terrifying, his eyes were wrathful and I couldn't understand why.

"You want to see how much of a saint your boyfriend is, Wise Girl?" he whispered huskily, his voice deathly quiet and filled with pain.

Then suddenly, Percy began to pull off his shirt. He threw it on the sofa and opened his arms and turned towards me, so that I was forced to look at his body.

I gasped at what I saw – my eyes flew wide open, and a lump formed in my throat that refused to die down. There were an eclectic group of bruises and scars all over his body. Some of which were poorly healed and some of which were fresh, as if they could have formed as recently as the day before. There were dents along his rib cage and there were deep gashes riddling his back. Some of the bruises and wounds looked like they had been reopened multiple times and this in turn nullified the healing process.

"What do you see Annabeth? Do you like it?! Because this is how great your boyfriend _really _is!" he roared at me, tears collecting in his eyes, which were burning with pain and humiliation.

I quivered under the intensity of his gaze, and my knees trembled beneath his rage.

_What have I done? What sort of a monster am I? This is my best friend and I let this happen to him, under my watch. _I thought to myself guiltily.

He used his hands to gesture at his body. "Is this enough to open your eyes, or are you going to tell me that I did this to myself? All those times that you sided with Luke instead of me, was it worth it? Because this is the price that I had to pay for your stubbornness, stupidity, and blindness!" he screamed.

I felt tears pour uncontrollably from my eyes and my throat tightened unbearably. My heart was tearing up into a million little pieces at the sight of Percy's mangled form.

"Percy, I had no idea, I swear!" I whispered, barely choking out the sentence.

"No Annabeth, you had an 'idea', you were just either too stupid to notice, too proud to admit you were wrong, or so vile that you were fine to sat by and let it happen. You stabbed me in the back and abandoned me! Luke apparently means more to you than your childhood best friend!" he snarled viciously.

My knees buckled from beneath me and I sank to the floor, crying uncontrollably. I wanted him to stop. I wanted to run away and hide, to escape far, far away from this Percy – this Percy who was cold, pain stricken, and betrayed.

Everything that he had said so far was right, and that was the hell of it all. For once, I was completely and utterly wrong, and I had been so catastrophically wrong. I let a psychopath torture my best friend half way to hell, and it was all my fault. I should have stopped it, I could have stopped it, but I didn't. To tell you the truth, I don't even know why I didn't.

"Get up! Don't try to make me feel sorry for you. Look at me, Annabeth. You see all of this? This is all entirely your fault! You created this; you wanted this, so take a good, hard look at it. Don't act all weak stomached now. After all, you've managed to ignore my suffering so far, why not do it one more time? For old times sake." He said cynically and cruelly.

I was losing control – I was going to lose my sanity if he kept going. Even if I stayed sane after this, the damage was done. I was never going to be the same again. For every second, for the rest of my life, the image of Percy's tortured body would forever be ingrained in my brain. He had taken this too far, and it seemed like he had no intention of stopping. I didn't even notice that I was hyperventilating until he stopped talking. Then blackness enveloped me, and I fell unconscious.

* * *

I woke up in Percy's room, lying curled in the fetal position on his bed. The sheets were covering me, and they looked like they had been placed very gently on my body. I awoke with a start, trying to find Percy.

He was asleep on the floor, his arms folded across his chest. He looked so peaceful while he was sleeping, unlike when he was awake. I propped myself up on my elbows and attempted to sit up. I held my head with my hand, trying to process what had happened before I passed out. Percy must have brought me in here after I fell unconscious.

My throat tightened unbearably as I looked at his sleeping form. I slipped off his bed silently and padded over to him. Gently, so as to avoid waking him, I pulled his shirt up so that I could look at him again. As I slipped his shirt off, I gasped again and my eyes began to water, blurring my vision. I carefully touched a particularly large purple bruise on his rib cage as tears rolled silently down my cheeks.

He shivered in his sleep and stirred, making me freeze, but he made no motions after that. My fingers began to trace the outlines of the various blemishes along his body. I inspected all of his scars and bruises carefully. I counted 27 bruises, 4 gashes, 11 dents, and an innumerable amount of scars. The thought of this much abuse made my heart tear itself asunder.

_Percy's the nicest kid I know. How could anyone do this to him? _I lamented mournfully.

Then, without control over my actions, I began talking to Percy.

"I am so sorry... for everything: For not being there when you needed me, for ignoring you, for not trusting you, for letting _this_ happen to you. I am a horrible friend and now I am losing you forever." I whispered.

I knew Percy couldn't hear me but the effect was still therapeutic. I sat silently, a thousand thoughts flying through me head. I had so much left to say, but words couldn't begin to do it justice, so I sat in silence.

It occurred to me in that instant that I was in love with Percy. I suppose I had been in love with him for a while, but I was too stupid to realize it. Seeing him like this and knowing that I was never going to see him again opened my eyes however. I didn't notice that I was hovering above his face until I could feel his shallow breathing tickling my neck.

Then before giving my brain a second to think about it, I leaned in and kissed him on the lips. His lips were soft and warm, and even though he was asleep, I wanted more, but I broke away anyways. It was my first kiss and it's recipient wasn't even awake.

Perfect.

I looked down at Percy, ashamed of what I had just done. Sadness filled up my heart and I wrestled with despair that threatened to consume me. I stood up slowly and made for the door. I opened it slightly and turned back to his sleeping form one final time.

_I'm sorry. I love you. _I whispered, my heart filled with regret, as I made my way out of his apartment, heading towards my house in the middle of the night.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! I finished my vacation yesterday, so here's the next chapter, as promised. I hope you liked it and enjoyed Annabeth's POV. She's not such a jerk after all. She definitely had everything coming to her though, but Percy was a little too harsh. Like I said before, Percy's not going to be as forgiving in this series and he's going to be a darker character. This interaction was one that has been avoided in every story similar to this one. I hope you liked it! As always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**


	5. A Beautiful Letdown

**A Beautiful Letdown**

**Percy's POV:**

_I'm sorry, I love you._

For some reason, those words haunted me, like a half-forgotten dream. My brain made some unconscious connection to Annabeth with those words, but I dispelled the thought quickly. There was no way I was going to let myself dwell on her. After the events that occurred last week, I honestly didn't know what to think about her.

After I woke up that last Friday, the first thing that hit me was regret, and it hit me like a brick. I hated that I had flown off the handle like that and that I was so bitter and angry that I didn't notice how far I went and how badly Annabeth was feeling. I remember seeing her sink to her knees, sobbing and hyperventilating, and finally passing out. Some part of me felt Annabeth was right that day in the locker room - maybe I was getting wrapped in anger.

_How could I do that to her? _I thought in shock, staring out of my car's window.

My mom and I were on our way to the airport, driving in our Honda Accord. It was raining outside and the sky was gray, the weather reflecting my mood at the moment.

The rest of the week had passed by without a hitch, and Annabeth made no attempts to contact me again and I didn't either. There were times that I would catch her staring at me in class, but she would always blush and turn away whenever I met her gaze. The behavior was unanticipated from Annabeth and I had no idea what to expect - it was pretty strange.

_I'm never going to see her again am I? _I thought to myself sadly.

Suddenly, everything - all the fighting, all my worries, all my angst - just melted away insignificantly in the background. How childish had I been these past few weeks? I had just about squandered my last moments with the greatest friend that I have ever had. Not even that, I had spent my time avoiding the only girl I had ever fallen in love with!

I cupped my face in my hands, filled with self-loathing.

Annabeth was gone. She had walked out of my life, probably for good, and I had done nothing with my last moments with her. Oh wait, I did do something! I berated her for an innocent mistake, and then I sadistically mocked her until she broke down and lost consciousness. What sort of a human being was I?

_I never even got to tell her that I loved her... _

And now, as they say, I would forever hold my peace, living with the biggest regret of my life. I would never know what would have happened.

_What if?_

That's the big question, and it was something I would never know the answer to. I think I remember some famous guy having a quote that went something along the lines of: "The greatest regret in life is wondering about what could have been, instead of what was." I don't know - I think it was something along those lines. Anyhow, bottom line: I had messed up big time, and now I would never have the chance to fix it.

I shook my head - no point in getting disappointed and depressed before I left. I mentally ran through what I was going to do when I got to Northbrook (the suburb that we would be living in) and the person I was going to be when I got there.

_I'm going to be funny, athletic, and I'm going to stand up for myself and everyone else that gets bullied. I want to live my life not caring about how others think about me. I want to make a lot of friends that like me for who I am. I want to learn how to play piano and I'm going to try hard at school for once. __But most of all, I really want to try to get a girlfriend. _I thought to myself resolutely.

I closed my eyes and pictured the new me - the perfect version of myself, someone people would be proud to know. I could practically see the improved Percy standing in front of me - calm, confident, happy, intelligent, and cool.

I sighed and leaned my head against the window, staring at the rain collecting against the window. My mother leaned forward and put a CD into the car's audio system. She turned and gave me a small smile that I returned before looking back out the window.

No matter how much I convinced myself that moving would be good for me, some part of me was filled with doubt and worry that everything would just repeat itself and I would be a loser again. I mean, I was determined to improve myself, but what if it wasn't good enough?

My thoughts dissipated the instant the first song came on. It was Michael Buble's version of the Ray Charles hit, "You Don't Know Me". It's my favorite song, and Annabeth and I used to dance to it all the time when we were little kids. Of course, we never understood the lyrics, but it was such a beautiful song that even little kids like us could enjoy it.

_You give your... hand to me. _Michael Buble sang softly and I was transported back to a different time - when I was young and happy; happy that I was with Annabeth and that we were best friends. A time when I thought that no force in heaven or hell could tear us apart. A time when anything was possible as long as we had each other. I remembered like it was just yesterday...

_7-year old Annabeth took my hand dragging me off the ground where I was lying down staring at the ceiling. I looked at her sudden enthusiasm with amusement. Even when Annabeth was young, I thought she looked beautiful - she still had gorgeous golden hair, amazing smile, and those heart-melting gray eyes that pierced through your soul. _

_"Percy, come dance with me!" she said brightly and I followed her to the center of my living room. _

_Annabeth released my hand and ran over to the speaker system. She popped in a CD and ran back to me, standing in front of me. _

You give your... hand to me. _Annabeth extended her hand to me and I took it gently in my own, following our well established ritual._

And then you say hello. And I can hardly speak, my heart is beating so. _Annabeth waved at me, and I smiled at her, not saying a word._

And anyone can tell... You think you know me well. _Annabeth wrapped her arms around my waist and I did so as well and the pair of us swayed in time with the music. Practice helped me avoid stumbling over my feet, but even with it, I couldn't help but trip over my feet at times. I tripped over and fell down, dragging Annabeth with me so that she fell on top of me._

Well, you don't know me, yeah... _"Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth laughed and my face reddened. _

_"Annabeth, get off of me! I can't breathe!" I said and Annabeth stood up holding out her hand to help me up, still laughing. I took her hand and she pulled me up, into the warmth of her arms..._

I snapped back to reality, still sitting in my car, feeling a painful lump in my throat.

_You don't know the one, who dreams of you at night. _I thought of all the sleepless nights I spent, worrying about Annabeth and her well being, worrying about the growing rift between us, worrying that I would lose her forever.

_And longs to kiss your lips, and longs to hold you tight. _I thought of all the times where I just wanted to hold Annabeth tight and steal her away from Luke, and about all the times that I've secretly wanted to kiss her.

_Oh, I'm just a friend. That's all I've ever been. _But that's right - I'm her best friend, I'm not supposed to have thoughts like that about her. I don't think Annabeth even knows how much I care for her.

_Because you don't know me. _Annabeth never knew the real me - the one that secretly worries about her and wishes that she loved me.

_Afraid and shy, I let my chance go by... _I had so many chances to express my feelings to her, but I never did because I was too terrified of rejection to do so.

_A chance that you might love me too. _Those words came back to me, whispering in the back of mind like a promise.

_You give your hand to me... And then you say good-bye. _And now, we had to say goodbye - probably forever.

_And I watch you walk away, beside the lucky guy. _Now, I'm leaving her with the Luke - at the mercy of a guy that finds enjoyment in torturing people. Odds are that he would probably hurt her and break her heart by cheating on her.

_And you'll never know... The boy that loves you so. _Forever holding my peace.

_Because you don't know me, yeah... _

I didn't realize that a film of tears had collected in my eyes until I felt something wet slide down my face. I hastily wiped them away, frustrated at myself.

_Annabeth is gone! Goddammit Percy, Annabeth is gone! She's gone and she's never coming back, especially after what you said to her. You have no one to blame but yourself for pushing her away, for not trying harder, for not being the person she deserves. _I thought to myself, filled with self-loathing.

I hated myself. I hated myself so much, it hurt to think.

"Percy, honey? We're here." My mom said gently, turning around to look at me.

Quickly I covered my face so my mom wouldn't see me crying.

"Percy, what's wrong?" she asked me, her voice filled with concern.

"I blew it mom! I blew it! I've lost Annabeth forever now because I acted like a complete jerk when she came to apologize." I said mournfully.

"Percy, I thought that we went over this - Annabeth's changed and she's brought you so much pain..." My mom began, but I couldn't take it anymore. If I held it in anymore, I was going to explode.

"But that doesn't change the fact that I'm in love with her!" I choked out.

My mother's face morphed into one of shock that was instantly replaced by a tender look. She leaned over from her seat and gave me a hug as I sobbed into her shoulder.

"Now, she'll never know - she'll never know that I loved her, and I'll never know if she loved me in return." I sobbed, hating myself for being so weak.

My mom rubbed the small of my back in small circles in a comforting gesture.

"Percy, I know that this is hard, but you'll find a girl out there better than Annabeth, someone that will be good to you and trust you." she said soothingly, and I broke away from her.

"I don't want anyone else! I want Annabeth! I want the girl that I met as a child, the one that skipped school for a week just to keep me company when my leg was broken, I want the girl that helps me try to succeed at school because she cares about me, I want the girl that defends me from the entire school, not worrying about what everyone else thought about her. I want Annabeth, mom." I screamed, letting it all out.

"Percy, I like Annabeth just as much as you do, but she's not the same person anymore and you have got to stop making excuses for her after she's hurt you so much!" My mom said exasperatedly.

I stayed silent.

"She's still in there, mom. Somewhere in there, is my best friend, the girl that I fell in love with and I'm so sorry that I didn't try and bring her back." I whispered, wiping my tears away.

"But honey, you did try! You tried and tried, but Annabeth couldn't change - She wouldn't change." My mom said passionately.

"That doesn't mean that she's a lost cause! I refuse to believe that." I said adamantly.

My mom sat back in her seat and sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Look Percy, I only want what is best for you. From what I can see, Annabeth has changed from the girl you once you knew and she's unwilling to change herself for you. You need to take some time to come to terms with your feelings about her, just give it time. I promise everything will make sense one day." My mom promised, and I stayed silent, brooding in my seat.

"We're going to be late for our flight mom." was all I said in response.

My mom cast one last worried look over me, but my face was firmly set. She sighed again and then nodded, stepping out of the car and I followed her.

45 minutes later, my mom were sitting at the gate with our carry on bags. I was sitting down, listening to Switchfoot's "A Beautiful Letdown" on my iPod.

_This song is perfect for me - an anthem for all the rejects out there. _I thought to myself bitterly.

It was one of my most favorite songs, and it always made me feel better and more hopeful. I was deep in thought when the girl with fiery red hair sat down next to me.

"Watchya listening to?" she asked me, pointing to my iPod.

I looked up at her with a frown and removed my headphones. "'A Beautiful Letdown' by Switchfoot." I said.

Her green eyes lit up. "Ooh, that's one of my most favorite songs! I always feel better after I hear it, like I'm not alone and that maybe there's some hope out there." she said animatedly and I couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, that's exactly how I feel when I listen to it." I said in response.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare." the redhead said to me, extending her hand to me.

_Well she's friendly... _I thought to myself.

"Percy Jackson." I said, meeting her hand.

As we shook hands, I studied her. She was about my height and she had frizzy red hair that stopped at her shoulders. Her eyes were a bright feline green color, and she practically exuded energy and cheerfulness. She was pretty. I felt apprehensive as to why a girl like Rachel would want to talk to me, but then I remembered my goal of improving myself.

_Might as well start now... _I thought to myself.

"So are you headed to Chicago for vacation or something?" I asked brightly, ruffling my hair.

"Nope, I'm moving there - my dad's a business man, and he's being transferred there for work." she said simply.

"What grade are you in?" I asked her, trying to keep the conversation alive.

"8th. I go to Clarion Academy for Girls - or as I call it Clarion Academy for Snobby Idiots." she said.

"I'm in 8th too - your school can't really be that bad can it?" I asked her.

Her eyes lit up and she began a long winded rant about how much she hated her old school. I found myself loving the conversation - Rachel was funny, unpredictable, and really hyper. The conversation progressed naturally, and it felt like Rachel and I were old friends that have known each other forever. I couldn't help but compare her to Annabeth - they were so different. Annabeth was never as cheery as Rachel and unpredictable was pretty much an antonym for her. I felt myself getting sad thinking about her, but I forced myself to focus on Rachel instead.

"Rachel, there you are! We have to board now, they're calling first class." A man said behind us.

Rachel looked up at the man with a look of disdain on her face. "Yes father." she said stiffly, standing up.

She turned to me. "It was great to meet you Percy! I hope we meet again!" she said.

I looked up at her with a smile. "Yeah me too." I admitted.

"Oh wait! I'll give you my phone number so that we can keep in touch." she said, and she hastily pulled out a scrap of paper and wrote on it furiously.

She shot her hand in front of my nose and wagged the paper back and forth. I took it with a smile on my face. She waved and began walking away with her dad.

I looked down at the paper to see her neat handwriting printing out the numbers. I smiled and put the paper in my pocket.

Then a thought occurred to me. _That's the first time a girl's given me her phone number... _I thought in wonder.

I grinned, thinking that maybe improving myself wasn't going to be nearly as hard as I thought. My problem at my old school was that I was always really quiet and shy while I was there. That made it easy for bullies to target me, and after Luke established that I was a loser, my chances at having friends was pretty much out of the window. But there was no Luke here to stop me now - I could finally be someone in school.

_This is going to be fun. _I thought to myself happily.

"Percy, we have to board - they just called our zone." My mom called out.

I stood up, picking up my bag and sliding my iPod into my pockets, and made my way over to mom who was standing in a long line.

25 minutes later, the plane was in the air and I looked down at the New York skyline with a sad look on my face. This was the last time that I was going to see the city, probably forever. I would miss it, but I knew that I could handle it. Things were finally taking a turn for the better and it was about time. My only regret was leaving my friends behind and about Annabeth.

_I wonder if she'll miss me?_ I thought to myself before I surrendered to sleep's welcoming embrace.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for not updating in such a long time, I had some things that I needed to deal with, so I apologize. Well anyhow, I am back now and that's what matters. I hope you liked the chapter. Next chapter will be about Percy being at Chicago and stuff. As always, Follow, Favorite, and Review!**

**Calling all readers! I need help thinking of a title for the series, so put on your thinking caps and send me your suggestions. I can't really think about what to name it, and I don't really like the current name. Thanks!**


	6. Author Note

**Author Note**

**Hello starship, the earth says hello! Kudos to you if you got the reference. But in all seriousness, hello! It's about time I did an author note and explained somethings about the story. Just read the bold stuff if you want a watered down version - the normal text is just my thoughts on the aforementioned statements and my reasons behind doing so.**

**1. No one in the story has powers. **Enough said, after all it's an AU story and whatnot, so I can change things up a little.

**2. Roman Characters will finally make an appearance. **I know I said they would in my last story, but this time I promise they will. In fact, you'll meet them all next chapter! So that's exciting.

**3. Everyone will be out of character. **Almost all of the characters will be different from their normal selves, and that's because I think their normal personalities have been over done. I mean, how often do you get to read about a darker Percy (not one that cuts himself)? How often do you get to read about Annabeth making mistakes? It's not very often, and I think that it spices up the characters by giving them a new flavor, so to say.

**4. Emotional Complexity is the name of the game. **With every story that I write, I strive to focus on one thing specifically. With my other story, character development is the primary focus. With this story, it's emotional complexity, and so far, I would like to think that I have delivered on that front. All the characters may seem really high strung, but they're not always going to be that way. Chapters 4 and 5 were special - Annabeth and Percy don't really cry much throughout the rest of the series so stay reassured.

**5. This story is super angsty. **Not much else to say. They're teenagers and angst is inevitable I suppose.

**6. Vocabulary lessons! **Everyone could improve their vocabulary, and my goal as an author is to enrich you all intellectually whilst keeping you interested in the tale. The point is, I want you to learn something when you read my stories. Most of you probably think that is really annoying, but I mean, the real world doesn't talk in text jargon. These words will help you seem more intellectual in the real world and impress people (cough, cough english teacher cough, cough).

**Well that's enough of that. I wanted to thank you all! I have 80+ reviews and the story only has 5 chapters so far. I feel very honored by that and all the encouragement you all have given me. I know that it's hard to digest a darker, more unforgiving Percy, but that's just the way the story will be - you'll get used to it. Anyhow, thanks again! **


	7. New Beginnings

**New Beginnings**

**Percy's POV:**

Walking through the halls of Northbrook Academy, one of the most prestigious private schools in Illinois, I couldn't help but feel nervous. I was making my way to the administrative office to pick up my schedule and to meet my student guide. The student guide would be someone in my grade that was in my classes. Basically, they had to show me around for the first two weeks so I could get used to the school.

_Be cool, Percy. Remember: New you, new school, new beginnings. _I chanted mentally, trying to motivate myself.

Last night, I had picked out my clothes to make sure that I looked acceptable for my first day. While I didn't care about what others thought of me, I didn't want to dress like an idiot on my first day. This morning when I woke up, I mentally reviewed the new improved Percy and felt myself identify with him.

I finally made it to the main office to meet with the school administrator. She was a middle aged woman with brown hair and silvery gray glasses who was typing away feverishly on her computer.

"Name." she said simply, not looking up from her computer screen.

"Percy Jackson." I said confidently.

She stayed silent for a minute and I fidgeted with the strap on my backpack. Then she looked up suddenly from her computer and handed me a sheet that had my schedule on it. Just after she gave it to me, a blond haired boy walked in with his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, Mr. Grace. Good, you're here." said the lady curtly, addressing the boy that had just walked in.

"Mr. Jackson, Mr. Grace will show you around while you are here." the lady said to me before clicking away at her laptop again.

I nodded, took my schedule, and turned to face my student guide. He was tall, taller than I was, and he looked really athletic. He was dressed in a simple white shirt and jeans, but he had an aura of leadership about him. The most defining feature about him was his electric blue eyes.

"Hey, Jason Grace, nice to meet you." the boy said politely, extending his hand to me.

I smiled and met his hand. "Percy Jackson." I said in response.

With that Jason led me out of the room and we made our way to our first class, Geometry. The class passed by without a hitch, as did the other classes, and the teachers were great. It was really strange, but also really nice that the teachers treated me with respect and that the students seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me.

As I walked to lunch with Jason, I felt like I had already made a really good friend. Jason was a really nice guy and he had this no-nonsense approach about him that I liked a lot. Despite that, he was really friendly and cool even if he was a little too serious. We made our way over to his lunch table that was surrounded by his friends.

"Hey guys, meet Percy! He's new here, so play nice." he said and the table stopped talking.

"Hey Percy!" they all sang out in unison.

I smiled and gave them a confident wave.

"I'll let everyone introduce themselves to you while I go grab some lunch, okay?" Jason said and I nodded. He clapped me on the back before leaving.

"Hey man, the name's Leo Valdez!" said a mischievous looking hispanic kid with curly black hair.

"I'm Piper McLean, nice to meet you!" said a pretty girl that had kaleidoscope eyes.

"Hey, I'm Frank Zhang." said a large chinese kid.

"Hi Percy, I'm Hazel Levesque." said a small African American girl.

I turned to the last person at the table and my heart skipped a beat. Sitting there was the most beautiful girl that I had ever seen in my life. She had light brown skin and glossy black hair that tumbled down her shoulders, but it was her eyes that made me hold my breath. They were piercing black that seemed to read right through my soul.

"Reyna Lopez." The girl said simply before looking back at her food.

I must have had an insane grin or something on my face because the rest of the table looked at me curiously. Instantly, I wiped my grin off my face and sat down between Leo and Reyna. I wanted to get to know her a lot better, so I suppose sitting next to her would let me do that.

"Hey, you're Reyna right?" I asked her politely, trying to spark a conversation.

Her eyes flitted up for a second and then just as quickly, they flitted back down. She lazily toyed with her fork, turning it about her finger.

"That's what I said." she said simply.

"Umm, yeah, I guess so." I said, feeling embarrassed.

She smirked and returned her attention to eating her salad. For the rest of the lunch period, I didn't talk with Reyna because I felt too flustered. I did however learn a lot about everybody else. Piper was the editor for the school newspaper, a drama geek, and also a cheerleader. Leo was a member of the high school robotics team, even though he was only in 8th grade. He was also a huge prankster and he reminded me of the Stoll brothers back in New York. Frank was a really shy guy, despite his size, and he was a wrestler. Hazel was really into art and she drew whenever she got the chance. She was also into Geology a lot and she knew just about every gemstone known to mankind.

It was towards the last five minutes before Reyna finally opened up about herself, and she did so only because Jason asked her to tell me about herself. I noticed that when Jason talked to her, there was just the faintest bit of blush that crept into her cheeks, but she still maintained icy composure. For some reason, I felt slightly envious of Jason, but I stowed away my feelings.

Reyna was into soccer and was the best player on her travel team. She'd apparently won a bunch of U-16 tournaments due to her skill. Apart from that, she was just generally into sports and stuff. I had a feeling that she could probably beat the snot out of me if we got into a fight. She had a really serious personality, and she was similar to Jason in that she had a "let's get down to business" mentality.

Reyna stood up to go throw away her stuff, and I watched her leave.

_Is she always so distant? _I thought to myself.

Jason was watching me closely, and he seemed to read my mind. "Give her some time Perce, she'll warm up to you. Reyna's not exactly the trusting type, but she's a really amazing person once you get to know her." he said politely.

I looked at him and shrugged, trying to pretend that I didn't care too much.

Reyna came over to the table and slung her backpack across her shoulders.

"Well, I'm going to head out and talk to Mr. Mills about that English paper. See you all later. Bye Percy, it was nice to meet you!" she said brightly and then she turned to leave, but not before flashing me an amazing smile.

I almost spit out the milk that I was drinking when she said that. The rest of the table laughed and Reyna gave me a curious look that was betrayed by a cute smile. I lowered my head in embarrassment and watched Reyna leave out of the corner of my eyes. As soon as she made it out of the lunch room, she burst out laughing. My heart nearly stopped - her laugh was amazing. It was like the sound of a crystal flute playing a ringing melody and I felt like I could listen to it for hours.

_Wow. She actually said bye to me. To me! And she said it was nice to meet me! Holy crap, this is so weird... _I thought to myself.

In my old school, I was avoided by girls like I was the plague. You couldn't catch a girl within 20 feet of me, unless they were forced to sit by me in class. Even then, they would always scoot away from me and talk as though I wasn't even there. This... This was so different - being accepted and being treated like a normal human being that is. I liked it a lot, but it was going to take some getting used to.

Lunch finally ended and I walked out of the cafeteria with Jason.

"So... It looks like someone has got a little crush on the Icy Princess herself." Jason kidded.

"Icy Princess?" I asked him inquisitively.

Jason smirked. "Reyna, you dummy. Don't deny it, we can all see the way you go all slack whenever you look at her." Jason said.

I felt the blood rush to my face and my ears felt unnaturally warm. "I don't have a crush on her." I mumbled.

Jason laughed and steered me over to science class. The desks were arranged in pairs and they were formed into three columns that filled the room. I realized with a start that Reyna was in my class, staring out the window, and that there was an open seat next to her. Jason smirked at me and pushed me into the empty seat next to her. Reyna turned and looked at me with that same curious expression and smile that I saw in the lunch room.

Jason looked at the pair of us and walked away laughing, sitting next to Piper. I watched him go and glared, but when I turned to look at Reyna I noticed the hurt expression in her eyes as she saw Jason sit besides Piper.

That's when it hit me - Reyna was crushing on Jason, but Jason and Piper had their own thing going on. I instantly felt sad and I sympathized with her - I knew what it was like to watch the one that you loved with another person.

My eyes softened. "It must hurt, huh?" I asked her.

She looked startled and she met my eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about." she said coldly.

"I'm sorry if it seems like I'm prodding, but I just want you to know that I know what that's like." I said simply as Reyna stared out of the window again, ignoring me.

Science class went by smoothly, but I found sitting next to Reyna really distracting - I would always get fixated on her gorgeous glossy black hair or I would stare dopily at her eyes. Then she would notice me staring and look at me really weirdly. I would look away and get embarrassed and berate myself for acting like an idiot.

After science class ended, Reyna collected her things and literally ran out of the room. I groaned mentally, thinking that I had completely ruined my chances of trying to get to know her.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, but Reyna avoided me like the plague - that was until English class. Mr. Mills had us sitting right next to each other in the seating chart and as I sat down, Reyna buried her face in her hands. I felt incredibly hurt when she did that and I couldn't stop myself from saying what I had been thinking all day.

"Look, I'm sorry about acting so weird and everything. It's just that all this is so new to me. I didn't have friends when I was in my old school, hardly anyone ever talked to me, let alone girls. You're one of the first girls that has ever treated me like a human being, so I stare at you because I can't believe this is real. I can't believe that you would give me the time of day when all that I've ever known is being ignored or treated like I was a disease. I'm sorry if I am bothering you, and I'll leave you alone. I was stupid for thinking that things would be any different." I said bitterly, releasing all my pent up emotions.

The instant I told her, I felt even worse and she looked up at me with a guilty look on her face. I turned away and stared into palms, toying with my fingers.

_I don't want her pity. _I thought to myself.

I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder and I tried to brush it away, but it wouldn't budge. Reyna turned me around.

"Don't do me any favors, Reyna. I was foolish for thinking that I might actually be friends with someone as popular as you." I said harshly and attempted to turn around again, but she wouldn't let me.

"Listen Percy, I am sorry. I didn't know any of that, and I do want to be friends. It's just that I'm not used to being stared at and whatnot - I'm usually ignored by everybody. Piper's the one that gets all of that attention, I am just another 'one of the guys', but I am a girl and I have feelings too. I'm sorry if I'm taking my frustration out on you and I hope that we can start over." she said genuinely.

"How do I know you aren't going to ditch me when you realize I am a loser." I asked her quietly, not caring that I had revealed my deepest insecurity.

"I don't think you're a loser and I never go back on my friends." Reyna said simply.

What she did next surprised me - she hugged me. I felt the blood rush to my ears and I sat there, petrified.

She broke away and gave me a small smile. "I'm sorry for acting like a jerk." she said shyly.

"You aren't a jerk." I whispered and she smiled at me again in that curious manner from the lunch room.

I smiled back and the teacher began the lesson. Towards the end of the lesson he collected a stack of papers from his desk and began distributing them.

"Okay everyone, I am going to hand out your project sheets. Remember this is worth a significant portion of your grade, so make sure you treat this seriously. You will have a month and you will work with the person sitting next to you. Any questions? Good." Mr. Mills said, handing everyone the project sheets that had the requirements on it.

I looked at Reyna and she looked at me.

"We got this." Reyna said confidently and I shook my head in affirmation.

The bell rang and I walked out of the classroom with Reyna. We had agreed to meet up tomorrow after school at her house to work on the project.

"Okay Percy, don't forget to bring your copy of '1984' with you." she said for the umpteenth time.

I rolled my eyes. "I heard you the first twenty times, I promise I'll bring the stupid book." I said.

Reyna laughed and my heart flipped again. She punched me in the shoulder lightly, just like Annabeth used to do and instantly my smile vanished. I didn't want to think about _her _while I was here. She was long gone, and there was nothing that I could do. No matter how much I tried to ignore her, I couldn't do it. Annabeth was a major part of my life, and I didn't have the strength to sever my bonds with her.

Reyna didn't notice and walked away to her bus, giving my a wave goodbye. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts of Annabeth and focused on Reyna.

"Well, I'll see you later than Percy!" she said brightly, waving to me as she walked to her bus.

I grinned. "Definitely!" I called out and made my way over to my bus.

As I did, I couldn't help thinking that maybe, just maybe, my move had been a good idea after all.

* * *

**One year later...**

My alarm rang out harshly and began dancing side to side in a very agitated fashion. I groaned as I rolled out of my bed and made my way over to the bathroom. As I brushed my teeth, I thought about what I was going to do after school today - it was Friday after all. Then I remembered, Reyna and I were going to go to the zoo or something to finish up a biology project.

I smiled to myself. Reyna and I were best friends now. Even though we had gotten off on the wrong foot when we first met, we soon became inseparable. She was great - smart, funny, and kind. We shared everything with each other - I told her about my old life, and she told me about her problems with Jason. Reyna and Jason had hated each other when they first met, but then she slowly began to fall in love with him. Then Piper moved here and it became clear that Reyna was losing Jason to her, and she felt awful. Because of my own problems with Annabeth, I could relate to her and I did my best to help her get through it.

Reyna thought that what Annabeth had done to me was awful and she hated Luke's guts. I never really gave those two much thought anymore since my new life was so much better than my old one.

I walked into the shower and contemplated how much things had changed for me.

I was a member of the high school swim team, and even though I was only a freshman, I had managed to make Varsity, and only the captain could beat me. Beyond that, I had finally hit my growth spurt and I was a good 6'1 now, and my workouts with swimming had toned my body so that I looked muscular. Girls in school not only didn't ignore me, they actively tried to talk to me. At first I had no idea why that was happening, but Reyna, Piper, and Hazel told me that it was because of my change in appearance.

To this date, I still haven't told Reyna how I've felt about her, and it makes me sad to see how much she cares about Jason. I don't feel any ill will towards him though - he was honestly a really great guy. Still someday, if she got over Jason, then I would very much want to ask her out, but I know that if I ask her out now, while she might say yes, she would always yearn for Jason. So I settled for being friends with her, and it was so awesome to hang out with her that I didn't mind not being in a relationship with her.

I walked back into my room and slipped on some clothes when something fell from my closet's top shelf. I bent down and retrieved a broken picture frame, covered with a fine layer of dust. Using my thumb, I brushed away the dust and a lump formed in my throat.

It was a picture of Annabeth and I from back at the start of 7th grade - our first day in Middle School. I had an annoyed look on my face, but I had a secret smile on as well, betraying my true feelings. My arms were crossed in front of my chest in an attempt to look upset. Annabeth was laughing when the picture was taken and she looked radiant as the sunlight shone on her golden blond hair, her arm draped over my shoulder. We were sitting on some bench in Central Park after going to the Empire State Building for the day.

As I remembered that day and the feeling of Annabeth's arms on my shoulder, my throat constricted unbearable and my fingers tightened around the frame, turning my knuckles white. I gritted my teeth and my hands trembled slightly as I looked at the picture. Even after two years, I still wasn't over her, but then again, I knew that I would never be over her. I debated silently in my head whether or not I should hurl the picture frame at the wall. Ultimately, I settled for placing it on my bedside table.

After all this time, Annabeth never made an effort to contact me and I didn't make an attempt to contact her either. I stared at the frame balefully for one final time before leaving.

After I inhaled my cereal, I slung my backpack over my shoulders and made my way over to the bus stop. As I walked, I thought with amusement about my goals for improving myself. I have to say, I did a good job - I was popular, a ton of kids in school liked me, I had good grades (thanks to my hard core studying habits), I was learning piano and I was getting pretty good at it, I was confident and I stood up for kids that got bullied, but one thing was missing. I still didn't have a girlfriend. It wasn't that I didn't have my fair share of admirers either - a lot of girls had asked me out already, but I politely and gently turned them down. There was only one girl on my mind right now, and that was Reyna.

My cell phone's ring tone shattered me out of my reverie. I fished around in my pockets and pulled it out. I smiled when I saw the caller ID.

"Rachel! Long time, no see! How have you been?" I asked her.

I could hear laughter on the other end of the line. "You mean last week was a long time, Percy?" she asked me and I knew she was smiling.

"You know me, I can't bear to stay away from you for too long." I teased her and she laughed again.

"Hey, I've got some good news. We can hang out tomorrow, my dad's letting me out of the house." Rachel said brightly.

"That's great! I'll see you on Saturday!" I said happily.

"You know it! See you later, Perce!" she said brightly and I smiled before hanging up.

Rachel went to some other private school here in Chicago, but it was an all girl's school. We talked often, at least once every week, and we tried to hang out as often as we could. After meeting Rachel at the airport, I called her after my first week ended and to my surprise, she invited me to grab some coffee with her the next day. Ever since then, we've been keeping in touch and we've become really close friends.

I met up with Reyna after I got off the bus. She was waiting for me, staring at the sky, by the oak tree in front of the school. I grinned to myself as I walked up behind her.

"Boo!" I whispered in her ear and she whipped around in surprise.

I laughed as I noticed how startled she was.

"You should see your face!" I squeezed out in-between my laughter.

"Not funny." she mumbled, but her smile betrayed her.

"Come on, let's go find everyone else!" I said as I draped my arm over her shoulder.

She sighed, as if to say _What am I going to do with you? _But she walked alongside me nonetheless.

As we walked in, a bunch of girls glared at her angrily, but Reyna didn't seem to notice. We met up with the rest of the gang and joked around for a while before the bell rang. Reyna and I walked to our first class and sat down.

The rest of the day went by uneventfully, that is until after last period ended...

Reyna and I walked towards the bus, deep in conversation about what the girl's soccer team needed to work on.

"No, you've got your positioning down - you just need to communicate better." I said animatedly.

"You're wrong, we can communicate, but we have a tendency to drift from our positions and that expos-, oh my god." Reyna said, stopping suddenly.

I frowned and I followed her gaze. Jason and Piper were kissing, up against the lockers. My heart fell instantly - Reyna was going to be devastated.

"Reyna..." I said turning around, but she was no where to be found.

I caught a glimpse of her running out of the school, her ebony hair whipping against the wind. I ran after her, pushing through the crowd.

"Reyna!" I called out, trying to catch her attention.

She was sprinting down the field heading for the giant oak tree. I ran as quickly as I could, trying my hardest to catch up with her. When I got there, Reyna was standing with her back towards me, standing stock still.

I walked up to her slowly and put a comforting hand on her shoulders.

"Reyna -" I began when she turned around and hugged me fiercely, tears pouring out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry, it's just too painful." she sobbed, her hot tears wetting my shirt. I didn't mind however, comforting my best friend came first.

"Don't worry about it. Everything's going to be alright." I said placatingly, rubbing small circles on her lower back.

She sobbed silently into my shoulder, not saying a word. My throat tightened unbearably. I hated seeing her like this - broken down and vulnerable. Reyna was always a strong and independent person, so seeing her like this, all defeated and exposed was a heart wrenching sight. She broke away from me suddenly and rubbed her eyes, drying her tears.

"Why doesn't anyone like me?" she whispered, her voice dripping with self-loathing.

I opened my mouth in shock.

"Reyna... Of course people like you! Everyone in school adores you, and you're one of the most wonderful people that I know." I said firmly, after I found the ability to speak again.

Reyna turned to the side, not meeting my eyes.

"That doesn't matter - Jason doesn't like me and he never will, not when he has Piper. She's perfect - she's sweet, caring, beautiful, funny, and smart. I'm just that girl that boys think of as a sister, but no one ever has any feelings for me and I can't blame them." she said bitterly.

My heart felt like it was being torn into a million pieces. I grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently. She stared at me with a startled look in her eyes.

"Don't ever say that! You're perfect! Jason can't see that, but I do! You're every bit as kind, funny, smart, and beautiful as Piper. In fact, you and Piper are Heaven and Earth apart - she's got nothing on you. If Jason can't see that, then that is his loss, not yours. One day, you'll find a guy that will treat you right, someone who'll care about you so much it hurts. He's out there waiting for you, so don't give up on him yet." I said angrily.

Reyna opened her eyes and gaped at me like a fish.

"Wha-, why-, How can you say that?" she stammered.

At that moment, all my inhibitions flew out of the window and the words came out of my mouth before I could help it.

"Because I love you! I love you, but I know that you don't love me, and everyday, my heart dies a little when I see you staring at Jason with a longing look on your face. Every day, my heart tears a little bit more because I wish that you would look at me like that, like there was no one else in the world. Every day, I die on the inside when I see how much pain Jason causes you. And most of all, every day, I stay awake at night, hating myself because I don't have the strength to tell you that I love you." I rambled angrily, releasing all my emotions.

Reyna stared at me in shock.

My eyes began to tear up and I berated myself internally for revealing how I felt about her so soon. I wiped my eyes quickly and turned around.

"I'm sorry," was all that I managed to get out before I ran away, leaving Reyna alone by the oak tree.

"Percy wait!" I heard her call out, but I ignored her, wallowing in self-loathing and shame.

The sound of blood pounding in my ears and my feet slapping into the pavement was all that I could hear. Just as I was about to step onto my bus, I felt a pair of hands grab my shoulders and rip me back. I spun around to see Reyna grabbing my shirt as she leaned in and kissed me.

I opened my eyes wide in shocked, but then responded. I closed my eyes and felt lost in a world of sensation as I rested my hands on her waist. Deep inside my stomach I felt like a dam of happiness had burst and it washed over my entire body.

_Why do I feel so incredibly and stupidly happy right now? _I thought to myself.

Reyna broke away and she gave me her trademark curious smile that I had grown to love.

"I love you, Percy." she whispered before running off, leaving me standing alone, confused, but ridiculously happy.

I shook my head and got on the bus, feeling kind of dizzy.

I came home and immediately went to my room. I sank into my bed and stared at the ceiling with a weak smile on my face.

_A girl actually kissed me! Me! And not just any girl - Reyna did! _I thought to myself in astonishment.

I laid there for a little while longer, before I pulled my laptop out and went on the internet. I went on Facebook with the intention of chatting with Reyna when something caught my eyes. I had a new friend request, but that was fairly standard for me since I was well liked and well known in school. However, I couldn't shake a sense of deep foreboding as I hovered my mouse over the friend request icon. Ultimately, curiosity won out and I clicked on the icon, horribly unprepared for what I was about to see.

_Annabeth Chase would like to be friends. Accept or Ignore?_

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! I was out of town over the weekend, and I just got back today. Here's the newest chapter and I hope that you like it. There will only be one more chapter about Percy's life in Chicago before he has to move back to New York, so fear not! Annabeth and Percy will be reunited once again! **

**I know, I know - You're all probably thinking "Percy and Reyna?! Gross!" and I can understand that, but trust me, there's not much of it. Personally, I really like Reyna as a character and I feel like she always gets the short end of the stick, so I felt the need to make her life better for once. Sorry for making Percy dote on her, but I felt like it, haha. **

**Dark Percy shall return once more, so fret not!**

**As always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**


	8. The One That Got Away

**The One That Got Away**

**1 Year Later...**

**Annabeth's POV:**

_"I'm gonna get you Annabeth!" called out a young 9 year old Percy._

_I turned and smiled while running up to the willow tree in my backyard. Percy and I were playing a game of tag and currently he was chasing me around the backyard. My plan was to climb up the willow tree because I was starting to get tired. Percy wouldn't be able to reach me at the top because I was a better climber than him and the tree wouldn't be able to support his weight._

_"Dream on, Seaweed Brain!" I replied, finally reaching the willow tree._

_My arms latched onto the branches and I began to pull myself up skillfully. Even though I hadn't climbed the tree in a while, I still hadn't forgotten anything. Soon, I was a quarter of the way up the tree when Percy finally made it to the base of the tree. _

_He looked up at me and called out, "You can't stay up there forever, and when you come down, I'll finally tag you!" he said triumphantly._

_I bit my lip as I looked down at him. He was right - I couldn't stay up there forever and sooner or later, I would have to come down and he would be waiting for me. Maybe I hadn't exactly thought this entire thing through._

_"Not if I outlast you!" I called back to him._

_Percy grinned at me. "There's no way I am leaving this spot!" he said and with that he plopped down on a soft patch of grass directly under the tree. _

_I frowned as I sat on a sturdy branch, pondering possible escape avenues. _

_Thirty minutes later, I had absolutely no clue how I was going to get away from Percy, and he still had yet to move from his spot. I glared at him from my perch as he ate a sandwich slowly and methodically, trying to entice me into coming down. My mom had come out to give us food and handed him a sandwich. She had some for me too, but seeing as how I was in a tree, I couldn't exactly get it._

_My stomach growled loudly and Percy must have heard or something because he began to wag the sandwich back and forth. "Dif sanwik iz relly goo, ya sure ya don' wan sum?" he called out to me, his mouth full of bread._

_I glared at him and stuck my tongue out in response. _

_That's when a drop of water hit my tongue. I looked up in horror to see that we were underneath a massive cloud front - not just any clouds, cumulonimbus clouds, or thunder clouds. _

_I gulped as the water began to pour from the sky torrentially. Staying on this tree was going to be difficult if it got slippery, but most of all, it was going to be dangerous if lightning struck. _

_"Annabeth! Come down! It's raining!" Percy called back to me._

_"Only if you surrender, Seaweed Brain!" I called back. _

_Percy frowned. "Fine! I'm staying riighhhtttt here." he said, stretching out the "right" while pointing at his spot._

_"Fine! Then I'm not coming down!" I snapped at him._

_"Good!" Percy snapped at me._

_I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to keep warm, but the rain was icy and stung when it hit me. There was nothing I had with me to keep me warm, but I was too stubborn to get down. _

_I sat up on the tree for another five minutes before Percy called back to me. _

_"Annabeth, I don't want to play anymore! Please come down! I don't want you to get hurt or sick!" He called back to me, now standing up._

_"Only if you admit that I win!" I said stubbornly._

_Percy looked at me in frustration. "You're impossible! You can't win at everything, Annabeth! Let's just call it a draw, and go inside and watch a movie or something." he said angrily._

_I smirked at him. "You're wrong Seaweed Brain, I ALWAYS win, and a draw is unacceptable. I only accept unconditional victory!" I said smugly._

_Percy looked even more exasperated and stomped on the ground angrily. "What does that even mean?!" he roared in frustration._

_I started to laugh at him - I couldn't help it. He looked so funny and adorable down there, yelling and worrying about me. He didn't need to worry though - I could handle myself. I am Annabeth Chase, and I don't need help._

_"It means I am not coming down until I've won." I said plainly, still smirking at him._

_Percy's eyes gleamed dangerously in the rain. "Well you're in for the fight of your life, Wise Girl." he said adamantly and sat down again._

_That's when lightning struck the tree. _

_I cried out as the branch I was one snapped, causing me to fall. I began to tumble down the tree, horribly aware of how many bones I would be breaking when I did land. Somewhere in the background, I could Percy shouting loudly. It didn't matter, he was too far away and I was falling to the side so he couldn't reach me - I knew he wasn't fast enough. _

_Gosh was I stupid for staying on that tree. _

_I braced myself for impact and closed my eyes, weighting for that sickening moment where every part of me would hurt._

_Wump!_

_My body dipped slightly but sprung back up. _

_There was no pain._

_I opened my eyes and they widened when they saw Percy holding me bridal style in the rain, breathing heavily. His sea green eyes were filled with unfathomable rage and worry, and I could tell that the muscles in his arms would probably be screaming for him to let me go. After all I had fallen from a 12 foot tree, and I weighed the same amount as him. But Percy never let me go. Instead, he just wrapped me even closer to him and sheltered me from the rain, looking down at me in worry. _

_His warm breath tickled my face, and I shivered._

_I waited for him to say something, but he looked so angry that I was afraid of what he might say. Then he began to lean down to my ears to whisper something._

_"I won." he whispered softly in my ears._

_I smiled at him. "Yeah, I guess you did." I said as he pulled back, his expression significantly softer._

_"Don't ever do that again. I was so worried. I thought that you had fallen because of me being so stubborn to win. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to you." he whispered, his voice taut with emotion._

_Without knowing what I was doing, I caressed his face gently with my hand._

_"It wasn't your fault - I was stupid for not coming down. Thanks for catching me." I whispered, equally as softly._

_Percy's eyes grew luminescent in the rain, and I felt myself drown in them, feeling like a sailor lost at sea. A warmth spread through my entire body, starting at the base of my stomach. His raven black hair was soaking wet and looked incredibly attractive. Even though I was only ten years old, I had always thought that Percy looked cute, but right now, he looked drop dead gorgeous._

_He smiled that signature lopsided smile of his, and my heart did a flip in my chest. "Anytime Wise Girl." he murmured softly._

_I took his face in my hands and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. When I withdrew, he looked positively shocked and I giggled at his dumbstruck expression._

_He smiled softly at me. "Annabeth." he said simply. _

_This was new. I certainly don't remember this happening that day._

_"Yes?" I asked him equally as softly._

"WAKE UP!" Mrs. Ryan, the Social Studies teacher, screamed and I woke up with a start, rubbing my eyes.

"Yes Mrs. Ryan?" I asked innocently, secretly hating her for interrupting my dream.

"Stay focused! No sleeping in class! I'll let you off with a warning since you're usually a good student, but don't let me catch you doing it again." she warned me.

I shook my head up and down in assent, sending my blond curls into a frenzy. "Yes, of course Mrs. Ryan. It won't happen again, I swear." I said convincingly.

Mrs. Ryan humphed as if to say "That's why I thought so", and resumed teaching about the Spanish-American War.

The instant she turned away, I turned and stared at the window, watching the reddening leaves fall gently off of the trees outside.

God, I missed Percy. After he left, I was an absolute mess - I couldn't eat properly, my sleep schedule became radically different, and it was hard for me to pay attention to class. Every little thing I saw reminded me of him - the willow tree in my back yard, my stuffed owl toy he gave me for my 9th birthday, the shirt he left behind when he came for a sleepover in the 7th grade and forgot to take back. Everything reminded me of just how badly I had screwed up with him.

The first week after he left, I avoided Luke like the plague, unable to confront him about what I knew he did to Percy. I hated that I didn't have the strength to go and attack him for hurting my best friend.

I wanted Percy to call me and tell me how he was doing after he left, but he made no attempt to contact me. He hadn't called once to check in on me, but then again, I didn't blame him - If I was him, I would never want to see me again. Still, I longed to hear his voice or to see his eyes in person again. Too bad I was never going to get my chance.

I buried my face in my hands and gritted my teeth, trying not to get too emotional at school.

A gentle tap on my shoulder disturbed me. I looked up to see Thalia Grace, my other best friend. She had transferred here from Virginia, but we knew each from camp, so we were awfully close. She was actually Percy's cousin on his dad's side, but they looked nothing alike. Thalia had these electric blue eyes and short, spiky black hair. She always wore black and black eyeliner that made her eyes really pop.

"Anything wrong, Annie?" she whispered to me, leaning in close.

I shook my head weakly. Usually, I would get upset at her for calling me Annie, but I was in too much pain right now to care.

Thalia withdrew but she didn't look convinced.

The bell rang twenty minutes later, and I realized with a start that I hadn't paid attention to a single thing that had happened in class. I was going to have to study that by myself later. I walked into the lunchroom, deep in thought.

"Hey Annabeth! Over here!" Luke called out, waving to his table - the popular table.

I cringed lightly and made my way over to him. I suppose I should explain how _this _happened.

After I finally plucked up the courage to talk to Luke after Percy left, he was shocked. He begged me not to leave him and promised me that he would change. I didn't believe him, but for a month he started acting really nice and everyone in school asked me to give him another chance. In the end, I gave him another shot because without Percy here, I needed him more than ever. I hated myself more than you could imagine for doing this, but Luke needed me as well - his mom was in a mental hospital and he was alone all the time. I was the only friend that he had that he could trust, and I couldn't turn my back on him like I had done with Percy.

I sat down besides him and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. Usually, I would push it away, but I needed some comforting right now. Luke didn't notice that I was in a rotten mood and went about conversing with everyone just like he always did. I said nothing the entire lunch period and left as soon as I finished my lunch for the library.

The rest of the day passed by quickly and I went back home, skipping Chess team.

"Malcolm, I'm not feeling well today so I'm not going to be at practice." I said over the phone.

Malcolm was a good friend of mine and the captain of the chess team, but he was a junior so I didn't see much of him.

"Sure. Is everything fine?" I heard him ask over the phone, his voice filled with concern.

"Everything's great. I'll talk to you later." I said unconvincingly, but luckily, he didn't press me.

Once I hung up, I debated calling Nico or Grover to talk about my feelings. For some reason, I found it easier to share my feelings with them than with Thalia. Maybe because they were boys and knew Percy well, or maybe it was just because they were good listeners. After Percy moved, I befriended them and realized quickly that they were amazing people that didn't deserve the crap they got. They both had hearts of gold and I could see why they got along with Percy so well. I would ask them about Percy and they would tell me he was doing well, but they refused to answer my questions about Reyna and that enraged me. I knew they weren't doing so because it would bring me pain, but I still wanted to know.

After I got home, I took out a bottle of lemonade and chugged it straight from the bottle. Once I quenched my thirst, I flopped onto the sofa in the living room and turned the TV to the Discovery Channel. While that was on, I flipped open my MacBook Pro and logged in. Before I could help myself, I was on Facebook again, creeping on Percy's profile. I had only gotten a Facebook at the start of the school year, and I had immediately looked Percy up.

He looked a lot different. For starters, he was a lot taller and definitely more well toned, like he had been working out or something. His hair was slightly longer, but just as messy and windswept as always. The only thing that remained unchanged were his eyes - they were still as gorgeous as they were the day I met him. Only now, his eyes looked happier, but there was unfathomable sorrow buried deep inside them. At least that's what I thought.

I clicked on his profile picture and the image enlarged to fit my screen. My throat tightened unbearably as I stared at the mystery girl that was with him in almost all of his pictures. The girl with glossy black hair, caramel colored skin, and piercing black eyes.

I _hated_ her.

I hated her with every fiber in my body, and I had never even met her. She was everywhere, flaunting herself at me, making me angry. There she was with Percy at a football game. Then she was with Percy at the aquarium next to the manatee display, making a funny manatee face. There she was with Percy, sitting next to him as they looked down a lake side cliff, their backs turned to the camera. Her head was rested on his shoulder and he had his arm wrapped around her shoulder as they both stared at the sunset. That picture always made me tear up.

_That should be me! That should be me there, resting my head on his shoulder with his arms wrapped around me. NOT HER. _I thought to myself in fury.

Then there was my most hated picture - his profile picture. It was a picture of Percy giving her a piggy back ride in the middle of a botanical garden. She had a large white flower tucked behind her ear and she wrapped her arms around Percy's neck. The pair of them were laughing in the picture, and Percy looked the happiest that I had ever seen him in my life.

That's what bothered me the most. The fact that this mystery girl - Reyna Lopez - was able to make Percy that happy. That was my job, not hers, but she was doing much much better than I ever could. It was obvious that she made him happy and that Percy had feelings for her. I don't know if they were a couple yet, but I knew it was only a matter of time. I mean, she was in almost every single picture on his profile.

Creeping on Percy's profile had become a very bad habit of mine since the start of the school year. Every day when I got back from school, I would go on Facebook and look at all of Percy's pictures and hurt myself even more. The knowledge that that could've been me if I had played my cards right and treated him with respect was more than I could handle and it brought me misery.

Every day, my mouse would hover over the "Send Friend Request" button for a good five minutes, but I would always chicken out. I figured that if Percy wanted to talk to me again, he would have already sent me a friend request by now. I was terrified that if I sent him a friend request, that he would just ignore it. Even if he accepted it, what had I accomplished? It wasn't like I was going to be able to talk to him normally anyways...

I sat on my couch, trying very hard not to throw my laptop across my living room and break it into a million pieces. I clicked out of his profile and went to mine.

My profile picture made me feel a little bit better. It was a picture of Percy and I from two years ago, in 7th grade, back when we felt like we could take on the world and that nothing could ever tear us apart. It always cheered me up when I was feeling down because I would imagine Percy being here with me and telling me that everything was going to be alright, just like he used to do when he was younger.

In the picture, we were sitting on a bench in Central Park after visiting the Empire State Building, where I bored the snot out of Percy with architecture facts. Percy had an annoyed look on his face, but there was a secret smile on his face, so he looked happy. His arms were crossed in front of his chest in an attempt to look upset, but it didn't work out for him. His eyes were bright and shone with happiness, and I always felt proud that I might have had something to do with that. He looked adorable, trying to act all cool, but ultimately failing. I was laughing when the picture was taken and had my arm draped over his shoulder. It was the happiest that I had ever looked in my life, and Percy had everything to do with it.

I touched my left arm lightly and squeezed, trying desperately to remember how it had felt to have Percy sitting beside me. It was never enough - my memories could never replicate the actual feeling of being next to Percy.

I swallowed painfully.

I was not over Percy and I have a feeling that I never will be. No matter what, he was always going to be that little boy that caught me in the rain as I fell off the willow tree. No matter what, he would always be the boy that I fell in love with. But no matter what, he was always going to be the boy that I had shunned and betrayed. And no matter what, I was never ever going to be able to change that.

He was the one that got away, and there was nothing in my life that I regretted more than that. Life was just not the same without him, and it never would be. Percy was the sunshine in my life that illuminated my path in the darkest of hours. He was the one that could make me feel better just by looking at me. He was the one that set my heart racing everytime he smiled in that lopsided manner of his that I obsessed over.

Somehow while I was thinking, I must have made it back to Percy's profile and my mouse was hovering over the "Send Friend Request" button again. I swallowed audibly and my fingers trembled as I stared at the button.

Then I thought about the flashback I had during history class, and I couldn't take it a second longer. I needed Percy, even if my only way to communicate with him was over the internet. I needed to to talk to him, to be a part of his life again.

Before I could lose my nerve, I clicked the button and I sank back in my couch.

_It's done. _I thought, closing my eyes, and I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Now only time and luck would tell me what would happen...

* * *

**A/N: Hello Everyone! I'm updating quickly to thank you for all the reviews and because I had time. Thanks for all the reviews I got last chapter, I am honored that you all liked it so much! I'm sorry that you don't know if Percy accepts the friend request or not. That's next chapter. =)**

**Anyhow, they're both in 9th grade right now and I thought that it was important to hear Annabeth's side of the story. I hope this answers all your questions about why she hadn't "friended" him on Facebook for so long. Annabeth's not a stalker, she's been miserable without Percy, so I hope that it brings things into perspective. I _hate_ that word - being concerned or heartbroken doesn't make you a stalker. I kind of hate myself for making her stay with Luke, but it's not forever, so fret not!**

**Send me your thoughts, and as always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**


	9. It Ends Tonight

**It Ends Tonight**

**Percy's POV:**

_Annabeth Chase would like to be friends. Accept or Ignore?_

My world stopped spinning for a second that seemed unaffected by time - it stretched for eons while being fleeting at the same time. Then the panic kicked in and it washed over me in floods. I stared at my computer screen mortified and becoming terrible nervous for no apparent reason.

_Why does she want to be friends now? She's ignored me for so long. This doesn't make any sense. What in the world is she thinking?! Should I be friends? What would Reyna say about this? _I thought to myself, my brain flying a million miles per hour.

_Wait! Reyna! _I thought to myself, coming up with a plan.

I hastily pulled out my phone and called Reyna. I needed to talk to her - maybe she could help me out.

"Hello? Percy? Is that you?" Reyna asked over the phone.

"Yeah! Hey, Reyna, something happened, and I need your advice. You got a second?" I asked her frantically, worry evident in my voice.

She must have picked up on this because her tone also grew concerned. "Yeah, I do. What's wrong?" she asked.

"Reyna, Annabeth sent me a friend request. What do I do?" I asked her, pressing the phone to my ear.

The line stayed silent before I heard a sigh. "Percy, don't ever do that to me. I thought you were in danger or something, and I got really worried. If it's just Annabeth sending you a friend request, don't make it sound like you're dying." she said wearily.

I frowned. "Reyna, this was my best friend and the girl that betrayed me that we're talking about. I think I have a right to be flustered." I said over the phone.

She stayed silent again. "Yeah, that is kind of sticky. Well, for starters, what does your gut tell you?" she asked me.

"I don't know - part of me is really upset with her and I really don't want to forgive her, but there's a piece inside me that can't forget the little girl that I was best friends." I said.

"Percy, I can't help you with this - you have to decide whether or not you're ready to forgive her or not. All I'll say is that she's done some pretty horrible things to you, but maybe she wants to make things right again. The question is whether you want to or not. Personally, I think you should accept and try to rebuild your friendship. She seems like she means a lot to you." she said over the phone.

I smiled. This is what I loved about Reyna - she could always read through a situation and see it clearly for what it was, and then she always had the best course of action.

Then I frowned again. "Will you be fine with it though?" I asked her.

She laughed on the other end. "Percy, I just said that I thought friending her was a good idea, of course I'm fine with it. Why wouldn't I be?" she asked.

I felt a little uncomfortable about what to say next. "Umm, because we kind of have something now and I thought it would be polite to get your approval first." I replied.

"Percy, I trust you and you can make decisions on your own. If this will make you happy, then I'm not going to stand in your way." she said.

I smiled again. I was glad that Reyna was so understanding and not the desperate clingy type.

"Speaking of which Percy, we should probably talk about what happened today." she said, and then I felt uncomfortable again.

"I'll stop you right there - I'm sorry for saying all that, it was completely out of line. We're best friends and I would never do anything to jeopardize our that. I don't want you to feel like you have a responsibility to be in a relationship with me just because I feel this way. I can totally understand if you want to stay friends." I said smoothly.

Silence.

"Well, actually I was going to ask you if you meant what you said." she said slowly.

"Every word." I said, without hesitation.

"Well in that case, do you maybe want to go out to see a movie today?" she asked, and I could practically hear her smiling over the phone.

My heart skipped a beat. "Wha-, yes! Oh my god, yes I would!" I said happily.

"Great! I'll meet you at the mall in an hour. We can pick a movie when we get there." she said.

"That sounds awesome, see you there!" I said.

"Bye Percy! Don't be late!" she called out.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." I grinned.

After Reyna hung up, I ran around my house screaming at the top of my lungs in excitement. I punched the air with my fists in triumph. Today was by far the greatest day of my life.

_I am going out with Reyna Lopez! This is actually ridiculous and I can't believe this is happening! God, I better make sure that I get ready and show up on time. I don't want to be late for my first date._ I thought to myself.

I ran into the bathroom and took a quick shower just to make sure that I looked extra clean, applied deodorant, and changed my clothes. That took me about ten minutes, so afterwards I sat down on my sofa and turned on the TV. The mall was really close by to my house, so I could walk there in about ten minutes. I ended up watching some sort of science program about human reflexes in sports and stuff, and it was really cool, but my mind was elsewhere, thinking about my date with Reyna.

About thirty five minutes later, I stood up from my sofa to leave. As I did, I noticed that my laptop screen was still on and on my Facebook page with Annabeth's friend request up. I frowned.

_I'll deal with this later. I need some time to think about all of this, and besides it's not like she can't wait for a while. _I thought to myself before putting my laptop on sleep mode, grabbing some money and my keys, and then leaving the house.

* * *

I got to the mall five minutes early and sat down at the food court. As I did, I pulled out my phone and began to text her asking where she was and when she would be here.

_Hey R, Where r u? I'm in the FC. - P_

I got a reply back a few seconds later.

_Turn around Sherlock. _

I grinned and turned around to see Reyna standing behind me.

She looked gorgeous. Her glossy black hair looked even more lustrous than usual, and her coffee colored skin glowed in the light of the mall. She wasn't dressed in anything particularly special, and she didn't have any make up on, but I still thought that she was the most beautiful girl that I had ever set eyes on.

She smirked at me. "Like what you see?" she teased me and I blushed furiously.

"Hey! I can't help it, you're gorgeous." I protested and now it was her turn to blush.

"It's not nice to tease people, Percy." she said shyly.

I raised my hands up in surrender. "I'm telling the truth, and nothing but the truth." I said.

She smiled her curious smile and punched me lightly in the shoulder. I smiled and we began to walk to the AMC in the mall.

A few minutes later, we decided on a movie and bought ourselves snacks. I refused to let her pay for the food, which ticked her off, but it was the right thing to do. She mumbled something about boys being stupid and how she was going to buy me a monocle for acting like a gentleman. I just laughed and told her not to worry about it.

The movie was pretty good and we were deep in conversation about it after we left the theater and began to walk outside.

"I thought that it was pretty strange how they never explained how the son escaped when the father didn't." Reyna said.

I nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, the movie was good, but there were some lose ends that they didn't tie up." I added.

"That's a good way to put it." Reyna said, shrugging her shoulders.

We walked in silence for a while and I noticed Reyna shiver slightly. It was November after all, so it was bound to be cold. I slipped off my sweatshirt and handed it to her.

"You must be cold, here take my jacket." I said.

Reyna glared at me. "I'm not some clingy girl that needs things from her boyfriend every second you know." she said flatly.

I smiled. "I would never make a mistake of thinking that. You don't need to be a clingy girl to feel cold, and accepting a friend's gesture of kindness doesn't make you weak." I said airily.

Reyna looked at me for a second before rolling her eyes and taking the jacket.

"Thanks." she said gently, her expression softening.

"Don't mention it." I grinned.

A comfortable silence formed around us as we walked around the mall, then Reyna suddenly began to talk.

"Percy, about what you said today - I just want you to know that I feel the same way about you, I was just too stupid to see it. I've kind of always had a crush on you since the day we met, but I never really thought that it would go anywhere since it seemed like you just wanted to be friends. What I'm trying to say is that I like you just as much as you like me." she said genuinely.

My eyes widened in surprise and my heart began beating faster.

I smiled at her, and she looked at me quizzically.

"What?" she asked with a frown.

"Just thinking about how awesome it is that we're dating and how lucky I am to have you." I said with a smile.

She blushed again, and my smile widened. I was glad that _I_ could make her blush like that now, not Jason. Getting her to blush is like trying to fly to the moon using a spoon.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and she moved in closer to me and rested her head near my chest. My grin widened and I felt stupidly happy, and it didn't wear off. This was as good as things got, and I was so happy that my luck had finally changed since I had lived in New York. Moving here had been the best decision I had ever made.

Reyna and I stayed at the mall for a little while longer before her dad came by to pick her up. She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and a hug before she left. As I walked home, I was buzzing with happiness. The cold November air made me shiver and I realized that Reyna still had my jacket on, but I didn't mind at all.

The street was lit by the lamp posts that were scattered around at regular intervals and the autumn leaves crunched beneath my feet. I had to resist the temptation to step on some that were out of my way because I loved the crunching sound so much. They were kind of like potato chips for your ears. The night was young and the stars grew brighter with every passing second. As was my habit, I stared up at the stars and thought about things.

Usually when I stared into the night sky, I would feel small, but today, I felt large, like I had finally found my place in the universe around me. Ever since I can remember, I've always wanted to belong, but no matter what I did, I never could. When I spent time with Annabeth, I felt like I belonged but that was temporary. That's why I was so worried when she started to change - I knew that I wouldn't belong anymore, and that no one would care about me. It's also the reason I never told her about Luke or my feelings for her. I was terrified that things would change and that somehow, she would abandon me. Ironically, in my efforts to prevent her from leaving me, I had done just that.

I shook my head. It was best not to dwell on Annabeth and what she did to me. It would never do me any good, and it wouldn't heal the damage she had inflicted. I grimaced when I remembered that I still had to respond to her Facebook friend request when I got back.

_Does she deserve to be forgiven? _I thought to myself, biting my lip.

No. She didn't deserve it. She would never deserve to be forgiven for what she had done to me. She left me to rot at a time when I needed her the most, and after all we had been through, there was no way I could ever forgive her. That sense of belonging that I treasured so much was stripped away from me and I was left to deal with the world by myself.

As I looked up from my thoughts and realized that I had made it home. I greeted my mom, grabbed my laptop, and went into my room. After changing into my pajama's, I turned to my computer. My mouse hovered over the "Ignore" button for a long time and my fingers itched to press it.

_It's so simple. Just one little click, and she's gone. Gone for good. _I thought to myself.

The temptation was beyond tantalizing - my life was perfect here, reintroducing Annabeth in my life would ruin everything. I knew that if I allowed her to charm her way out of the hurt she had inflicted on me, I might forgive her, or worse, regret my decision to move. Annabeth had made her choice to leave me a long time ago, she didn't have any right to come back to me and ask to "be friends" after all that.

I took my pillow and screamed into it in frustration.

_Why can't I press the goddamn button! Percy! PRESS THE BUTTON. GET RID OF HER. SHE LEFT YOU. SHE HURT YOU. SHE BETRAYED YOU. She doesn't deserve your forgiveness and she has no right to ask for it. _I thought to myself angrily.

I couldn't press the button, and I had no idea why not. There was some invisible force that stayed my hand, and no matter how desperately I wanted to ignore her, to make her suffer for what she done to me, I couldn't do it. Maybe it was because even after all the pain and hurt I had been in, I didn't want to stoop down to her level.

_After all, that's what separates me and her, right? The ability to think about others and their feelings. If I don't forgive her, I am no better than she is - hurting people without so much as an after thought. But she also doesn't deserve to be forgiven. If I do forgive her, she'll just think I'm a pushover and take advantage of me. Everyone takes advantage of kindness in this world we live in - they mistake it for weakness when it's a showing of strength. _

That's enough - It Ends Tonight. I took a deep breath and took one more glance at the "Ignore" button and was about to press it when I saw something that caught my eye. Intrigued, I clicked on Annabeth's profile and magnified her profile picture which was previously too small to notice.

What I saw made my throat tighten unbearably. I swallowed, trying to make the lump die down but it was to no avail.

Her profile picture was the same picture that I had discovered only this morning - the one with us in Central Park when we were in Middle School. I read over the description for the photo.

_Sometimes you look back and you wonder where it all went wrong, and then you realize that you have no else to blame but yourself and that's when the regret becomes unbearable._

I read over those words more times than I could count, until they were burned into my memory. It was a very odd description for a photo, and anyone else wouldn't have understood what she was talking about. They would probably just think it was an attempt to write one of those girly psuedo-artsy comments that were supposed to profoundly philosophical yet ultimately made the writer look shallow. I knew what she was talking about and I didn't want to accept it. I _couldn't_ accept it.

I looked over to the date uploaded to see if she had posted it recently to try to guilt me into accepting her friend request, but I saw that it wasn't the case. It was up since the beginning of the school year and further analysis showed that it was the only picture in her "Profile Pictures" folder.

In that instant, my decision became clear. I moved my mouse purposefully over the "Accept" symbol and I pressed without hesitation.

* * *

**A/N: Hello Everyone! This chapter is uber sloppy and is kind of a rant about Percy's feelings, but it was important to include. Sure it could have been tightened up a little bit more, but I couldn't think of a better way to do it, and I really want to skip to the part where Percy comes back. Next chapter, he finds out he's leaving and at the end he finally gets back to New York. Hope you all enjoyed that chapter, and as always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**

**If you understood the title reference, then you are winner and have a good taste in music. Honestly, the best song ever written to overcome a break up. **


	10. Drenched in Vanilla Twilight

**Drenched in Vanilla Twilight**

**2 Years Later...**

**Percy's POV:**

The summer of my sophomore year was drawing to a close, and junior year was approaching much too soon. Junior year has always been that grade that was terrifying to me since it pretty much decides your future, but it was always far away so I would just ignore it. Now it was finally here and I was scared senseless. Colleges, grades, extra-curriculars, and relationships all had to be juggled around masterfully, otherwise everything would come crashing down.

It was alright though - As long as Reyna was with me, everything was fine. She kept me grounded and gave me encouragement when I got too doubtful about myself. We were still together and these past two years have been the greatest of my life. The memories that I had shared with Reyna were my most treasured memories, and my bond with her was something that I cherished more than anything else. She was honestly the greatest girlfriend I could've asked for. Speaking of which, we were on a date at the moment.

"You sure you don't want dessert?" Reyna asked, pointing her fork at me.

I smiled and shook my head no.

"What's up? You always have dessert here - the creme broulee is your favorite." She said gesturing with her free arm, which made me smile wider.

We were currently in our favorite Italian Bistro having a fancy dinner. We tried to go here once every month since we had had our first proper dinner date here. Both of us instantly fell in love with the place and it become our favorite restaurant.

_I'm saving room for the surprise I made you at home. _

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just not feeling it, I guess." I lied smoothly.

She looked at me suspiciously and eyed the dessert menu one more time before calling the waiter over.

"Fine, but you better not ask for some of mine when it gets here." She said firmly after ordering, and I raised my hands in surrender.

"I wouldn't dream of it." I said with a smirk, and she playfully stole a tomato from my plate.

As she popped it in her mouth with flourish, I smiled and pushed my plate over to her to provide better access. Reyna wore a confused expression on her face. I raised my eyebrow quizzically.

"There's no challenge when you leave it wide open." Reyna explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I laughed and moved my plate back and pretended to defend it, but I just let her steal some of my food anyways.

"You're not even trying!" She protested, and I grinned.

"I swear I am, you're just too good Reyna - I have no shot at stopping you." I said lightly.

Reyna scoffed and rolled her eyes. She pointed her fork at me and jabbed it forward so that it almost hit my nose. "Flattery won't get you anywhere mister." She said, now wagging the side to side.

"Well it got me a kiss..." I said, taking her hand and kissing it lightly.

She blushed and I laughed. Even though we had been together for two years now, I could still embarrass her by being all gushy and romantic. The weird thing about her was that she got embarrassed when I did little things like telling her that she was beautiful or kissing her hand, but she was perfectly fine with making out with me in public or telling people that she had fallen asleep in my bed again. Of course we never did anything other than sleep, so don't get any ideas.

The waiter finally came over with a bowl of creme broulee and orange colored sugar on top. He set it lightly on the table and pulled out the blowtorch and then proceeded to caramelize the sugar so that the custard bubbled. You know how I said I didn't want some before? Well, seeing the blowtorch really _really_ made me want some. The waiter topped the whole thing with a couple blueberries, slid the bowl over to Reyna, and smiled at her before leaving.

Reyna took her dessert spoon and started to eat the delicious custard with relish. I turned away to avoid the temptation of asking her for some. My hand scrunched up my dress shirt over my stomach and I closed my eyes.

_No Percy, you said you didn't want some. Don't ask her for some. Don't ask. Don't ask. Don't as- God that smells divine. I bet the custard is super creamy and the sugar is crunchy. Gosh, the velvety texture of that custard makes me drool. Don't even get me started on the blueberries, they are super juicy and they complement the custard. Wait! Stop thinking about it! _

Great. I was arguing with myself.

Reyna must have noticed because she looked at me with a smirk.

"Oh Percy, this creme broulee is soo delicious. They did something special with the custard this time around. I think there's some white chocolate in it now and it tastes divine." She teased, gesturing to her bowl.

Even though I just ate, my stomach grumbled. I swallowed audibly and cleared my throat.

"That's great! I'm really not hungry though, so don't worry about me." I said, trying to sound cool, but my voice came out hoarse.

"Whatever you say. You don't know what you're missing." She teased, savoring another spoonful.

I watched her balefully as she ate. _Screw it. I can't take it anymore. I gotta have some._ I thought finally, my resolve breaking.

I coughed lightly to get her attention. Reyna looked up from her bowl with a smirk.

"Yes Percy?" She asked me innocently.

I cleared my throat again because it was suddenly dry. "Well, if it isn't too much trouble, I was wondering if you might give me some of your dessert." I asked her casually, but she wasn't buying it for a second.

She pretended to think for a second, but then she nodded no. "It would be too much of a hassle, besides, I thought _you_ weren't hungry." She said with a smirk.

I groaned inwardly. "Reyna please?" I begged her, putting on my best pouting face. That was my secret weapon that Reyna couldn't resist.

Reyna's eyes widened and her expression softened before she pulled an annoyed one hastily back on her face.

"No." She said, but she wasn't nearly as firm as before.

"Please? You'll be my favorite person ever." I said as persuasively as I could.

She looked at me for a long while and just when I thought she was going to disagree, she sighed and pushed her plate over to me.

I smiled at her and took some custard and ate slowly, enjoying every bit of it. God, she was right - the chef had put some white chocolate in the dish. I only took one bite and a blueberry before returning the dish back to her. After all, I didn't want to steal her dessert on her _birthday_.

That's why we were here right now - to celebrate her birthday. Earlier, I had taken her to go see a movie and then we went here after it was done. I still haven't given her her present, but I intended on doing so later tonight when we got back to my house. We were going to watch another movie there and then she was going to stay over for the night since tomorrow was a Saturday.

"You can have some more, you knucklehead - I know how much you love it." She said.

I nodded no. "It's your birthday, I can't take your food from you." I said with a smile.

She just rolled her eyes and muttered "Boys" under her breath.

We finished and I paid for the entirety of the meal much to her displeasure. We usually split the check, but it was her birthday so she was definitely not paying.

Reyna and I got in her car and she drove us both to my house. I know, embarrassing, but Reyna was older than me and she got her license on her actual birthday. My mom was out with her new boyfriend Paul Blofis, so Reyna and I had the house to ourselves. Paul was a great guy, but I gave him a hard time by calling him Mr. Blowfish. We got along great and he made my mom happy. My biological father had died shortly after my birth when he was away on a business trip on a cruise in the Mediterranean, so Paul kind of began to fill up that paternal role in my life.

As we got home, I got out and pulled out my keys and unlocked the door. Reyna walked in and the wind blew so that her glossy black hair whipped backwards, tickling my nose. She smelled like apples and cinnamon. I smiled to myself and followed her in, turning on the lights. Reyna turned around to face me with her trademark smile on her face. Reyna was wearing a deep purple dress that looked gorgeous on her.

I returned her smile and leaned up against the wall, folding my arms over my chest and marveling at how beautiful she was.

"Percy, thanks for the date and for the past two years. I can safely say that they have been the best in my life. You make me feel like the luckiest girl in the world, and I am so grateful to you. I hope you know how much I love you." Reyna said earnestly.

My eyes opened up wide. Reyna usually never talks this romantically, so this must have been something that she had really wanted to say. She never really vocalizes her feelings to me regarding our relationship. I think it's because she's embarrassed or that she thinks that I might make fun of her for it, but I actually wish she would communicate more - I want to know if she's happy with me and if she isn't, I want to change.

A small grin blossomed across my face growing wider every second. I opened my arms, inviting her into them, and she glided into them as though it was the only natural thing to do. I held onto her tightly and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Of course I know you love me because I love you just as much, and that's why our relationship is as strong as it is - it's built on reciprocity. I agree, these past two years have been the best parts of my life too. I am so glad that I met you and that you gave me a chance to get to know you. You're amazing Reyna, never ever forget that." I whispered into her hair.

"I won't." She mumbled against my chest.

I smiled to myself. I leaned in close to her, like I was about to kiss her. She leaned up to meet me and I stopped just short of her parted lips with a smirk on my face. "Well your day is about to get a lot better. I'll be right back." I said and then disentangled from her.

She groaned behind me as I ran into the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator and retrieved my homemade cake for her. It was Devil's Chocolate Cake - her favorite, with the words, "Happy Birthday Reyna! - Love Percy" written on the top with white icing. It was a small cake, but then again it was made for two. I fished around in a drawer for two plates, two knives, and two forks.

When I made it back holding all the stuff in my hands, she looked at me in confusion.

"Percy, What is all this?" She asked me.

"Surprise! It's not a birthday without cake!" I said with a smile.

"So that's why you didn't eat dessert at the restaurant!" She said, coming to an understanding.

I nodded my head in affirmation and handed her a fork. She took it and prodded into the cake, and the fork cut through smoothly. We began to eat the cake happily and in silence, just making involuntary noises that showed how good the cake was.

"So do you like it?" I asked her nervously.

"Oh my god, this is so good. It's the best cake I've ever had!" Reyna said genuinely.

I smiled weakly at her. "You're just saying that, I'm sure you've had better." I said.

"Are you kidding? This tops every one that I've had before. Where in the world did you buy it?" She asked me incredulously.

I smiled at her shyly, feeling my face heat up. "I made it." I whispered, barely audibly, but she heard me.

Her eyes opened wide and the look of surprise on her face made me want to laugh.

"Are you serious? Percy you _need_ to make me cake more often. This is absolutely delicious. Thanks so much!" She said and I smiled happily at her.

"Well, I'm glad that you like it. I thought it was going to be a disaster." I confessed.

"Disaster is not at all equitable to that cake." Reyna said confidently and I laughed.

We finished eating the cake and I put the plates back in the sink. I would wash them tomorrow once mom got home. I made it back to the living room and frowned when I noticed that Reyna wasn't there. She walked in through the front door a second later carrying a suitcase with her pajama's and sleeping bag.

"I'm going to go change. This dress is getting uncomfortable." She huffed.

I grinned cheekily at her. "Well I think you look sexy in it." I teased her and she blushed.

"Are you asking to die, Jackson?" She warned me, but her smile betrayed her.

"Depends... Will you be wearing that dress when you kill me?" I teased her.

She rolled her eyes. "I'll be sure to blindfold you beforehand." She said with an evil grin and I chuckled.

"Whatever. I guess I'll go and change too." I said and made my way to my room.

I changed into some pajama's and walked back downstairs. Reyna was seated on the sofa, dressed in her favorite Barcelona FC jersey and gray sweatpants. It was still early August so I didn't understand why she was wearing sweatpants, but it worked on her so I didn't complain.

I walked up behind her with a devilish grin and ruffled her hair, trying to mess it up. I have never ever seen Reyna with messed up hair - some part of me wondered if it was biologically possible to mess it up. Reyna didn't scream at me like I thought she would. Instead she gave me a weary side long glance.

"What are you doing?" She asked me.

"Trying to mess your hair up." I confessed, still furiously ruffling it.

Instead of attempting to stop me, she grinned at me. "Good luck with that. You're not going to win." She said.

It took me thirty seconds to realize that she was right. "That's not fair! How is hair always like that?" I asked her after I plopped onto the seat next to her.

"I have my ways." She said with a grin.

"Is it a wig?" I asked her cheekily, wearing a smirk.

She slapped the back of my head lightly. "No, you would have known by now if it was." She scoffed.

"Just joking." I said.

"Let's watch a movie before I strangle you." She said playfully.

"Hey! What happened to 'Percy I love you so much?'" I protested.

She rolled her eyes. "Just play the movie Percy." She muttered under her breath.

I just laughed at her and popped in the movie, "Up".* It was really good and I felt a little teary eyed at certain parts. Even Reyna lost her icy composure at times but she usually just laughed at me when I was getting emotional. I couldn't really harass her about being emotional at certain parts since I would be too. The movie ended and Reyna was resting her head on my chest and I played with her silky ebony hair.

"That was a really good movie," She mumbled and I smiled.

"Yeah it was. I'm glad that you liked it." I said with a smile.

We stayed like that for a while, content to sit in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

"Here, I have something cool to show you." I said after a while, and I stood up, taking her hands in mine.

I dragged her to the sun room where the piano was. I sat down and she sat next to me.

"I'm going to play you a song okay? I hope that when you listen to it, you can hear my feelings for you come out." I whispered to her and she nodded.

After taking a deep breath, I began to play. As I played, I quickly became immersed and lost track of my surroundings, only wanting to convey my emotions for Reyna through the music. It was a sorrowful, romantic, yet hopeful song and I felt like it was perfect for our relationship. We had both had some very tough times but when we were together, everything seemed better and more hopeful.

The song ended and I looked up at Reyna for the first time with a smile. I realized with a start that there were tears streaming down her face.

"I heard it. I heard all of it." She whispered and I smiled at her weakly.

She launched herself into my arms and kissed me. I smiled against her lips and responded, kissing her sweetly. My hands rested on her lower back as her hands ran through and gripped my hair. We broke away for air and smiled at each other. Then a thought struck me.

"Oh crap! Wait here, I'll be right back!" I said before running upstairs, leaving Reyna sitting on the piano bench with a confused, but adorable look on her face.

_I forgot to give her my present! _I thought in worry as I raced to my room.

I made it next to my bed and retrieved the black box adorned with a red bow on it. I ran down the stairs, taking two or three at a time while holding it behind my back.

Reyna looked at me hesitantly. "What have you got there?" She asked me.

"It's your birthday present! Come on, let's go outside and you can open it." I said, taking her outside.

We sat down on my porch and I handed her the box. I looked at her nervously as she fiddled with the bow strap until it finally came loose. She opened the box with extreme caution and peered in. Her hands went into the box and she pulled out the album.

"You got me a book?" She asked me curiously.

"No, open it." I said, shaking my head.

She flipped open the album and instantly her facial expression changed - it softened and became tender. "Percy, you shouldn't have." She whispered.

I grinned at her as she flipped through the album. It was a compilation of every great moment that we had shared together. There was a picture of us in 9th grade on our field trip to the Field's Museum for Science class. We were standing in front of the giant Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil and smiling happily into the picture. Then there was a picture of us at a football game, cheering on our school. After that there was a picture of Reyna sitting on my shoulders triumphantly waving around the State Soccer Title. There was a picture of Reyna and I at one of my piano recitals. Another one of Reyna and I, both waving at each other underwater in the school swimming pool. There was a picture of the second time that we went to the botanical garden, when I had sneakily ripped a gorgeous flower off a stem and stick it behind her ear. I gave her a piggy back ride and we took a picture together. It was my favorite picture and it was also my profile picture. There was a picture of Reyna and I standing in front of the Millennium Bean, making faces into the bean.

They went on and on, each picture cataloguing a different cherished memory that we shared together. On the final two pages where pictures of us separately. On the left side was a collage of a bunch of pictures of Reyna. They were taken when she was either doing something crazy, funny, or amazing. My favorite ones were the ones that she looked angry in.

On the right side, there were three pictures of me, placed side by side. All the pictures were of me standing on a beach, holding a stick, writing something in the sand. In the first picture, I had etched in the word "I" and I was standing next to it, pointing at myself. In the second one, I had written the word "Love", and I stood to the side making a heart with my hands. The final picture was of me pointing straight at the camera, towards the viewer. On the ground beside me was the word, "You".

"I Love You." Reyna whispered reading over the pictures.

She turned up and looked at me and I smiled at her shyly. Without warning, she leaned in and kissed me. This time, we didn't break away, instead kissing more and more furiously. We kept at it for a couple minutes, completely lost in our own little world, where nothing else mattered and where we were the only inhabitants.

When we finally broke away, we looked at each other and smiled. A gentle summer breeze blew towards us and made Reyna's hair flutter in the wind. The moon was full tonight and it shone on Reyna, making her skin glow softly in the moonlight. She looked like a goddess.

I smiled and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "You don't know how lucky I am to have you." I said to her.

She grinned at me. "I think you're only half right - we're lucky to have each other." She said wisely, which elicited a laugh on my part.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." I said with a grin.

"Come on, let's go grab some pillows." She said, and together we walked inside and retrieved two pillows and a blanket.

We walked back out and climbed into my hammock. It took us a few minutes, but we finally got into a comfortable position. I was lying on my back and had my arm wrapped around Reyna. She was lying on her side with her arm around my torso. She leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I felt blood rush to that spot and I blushed furiously. Reyna laughed that beautiful laugh of hers and my heart did a little flip.

I sighed in contentment and she giggled, nestling closer to me.

"Look." I said pointing to the night sky.

The sky was turning a light blue color which was very strange considering that it was past midnight. I felt Reyna's hands brush up against my own and it felt like electricity shooting up through my hands. We laced our hands together and I couldn't help but notice how perfect his moment was. The summer breeze swayed the hammock side to side pleasantly and I felt myself begin to nod off. Reyna nuzzled up against my chest and closed her eyes in contentment. I smiled when I looked down at her. I leaned down and kissed the crown of her head and withdrew, resting my chin on her head so that her nose tickled the crook of my neck.

Before I fell asleep, I thought of a verse from an Owl City song that seemed to perfectly describe the moment.

_Drenched in Vanilla Twilight, I'll sit on the front porch all night, _

_Waist deep in thought because when I think of you, I don't feel so alone..._

* * *

**The song Percy played for Reyna is called, "River Flows in You" by Yiruma. It's one of my all time favorite songs, so give it a listen!**

**A/N: Hello Everyone! This is a little bonus chapter for you all! I felt like doing a little bit of fluff since this story is so plot driven, just to kind of step back and take a breather. I promise that Percy will return to New York next chapter, okay? I felt like "Vanilla Twilight" by Owl City just kind of fit this chapter. I'm not a big fan of the song, but I have to admit that the lyrics are masterstrokes of genius. Tell me what you thought about Reyna's birthday Anyhow, ****I hope you all enjoyed it and as always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**

*******"Up" was the movie that I watched on my first date with my first and only girlfriend. It's really good, but I can't watch it again without thinking about her. Still, I think that you should watch it if you haven't already!**


	11. Crash Landing

**Crash Landing**

**Percy's POV:**

I stared outside my plane window, feeling lifeless and zombie-like. The night sky glistened with stars that shown like pearls washed in a sea of black. The night sky was my refuge, it was the place I could turn to when nothing else was going right in my life, and right now all I wanted was to lose myself in the majesty of the cosmos.

We were moving. Again.

It was so sudden and I had absolutely no say in it. The publishing house wanted to expand a branch in New York and they wanted my mom to head it. Her book was a massive bestseller and the company worshipped her. Even though she was only an author, they wanted her to join and to start overseeing portions of the company to identify fresh new talent. Of course, she was still going to write, but that was going to be on the side while she worked at the new branch.

The job paid a massive sum of money and it was too good to turn down. At least, that's what she told me.

Paul was also moving with us since their relationship is getting more serious. He had already moved in with us, and I think an engagement sometime soon wasn't out of the question.

Enough of that. I didn't care. In fact, I didn't care about anything anymore. All I want now is to go back to Chicago, but instead I'm returning to the place that made my childhood a living hell. I was leaving all my friends that I had made in Northbrook for the kids that spent every second they could making my waking hours a living nightmare. That hardly seems like a fair exchange.

The worst part of it all was leaving Reyna.

_Reyna... _

Just thinking about her made my throat constrict painfully. She was honestly the greatest thing that had ever happened to me. Now she was gone. This was like a repeat of leaving Annabeth, only infinitely worse because Reyna loved me and never betrayed me.

I sighed and decide to surrender to sleep and shut out the world.

* * *

_Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, and Leo were looking at me with horror struck expressions on their faces. We were in the park right now and I had just told them that I was leaving. It was a tough thing to do, but it was necessary._

_Leo was the first to recover. "You can't leave! You - You just can't!" Leo said exasperatedly, waving his arms angrily._

_I sighed wearily and dragged my hand across my face. "Guys, don't make this any harder for me than it already is. I'm going to hate moving back to New York and I'll miss all of you. You guys are my best friends and you accepted me when I first got here. I am so grateful to all of you, and I regret leaving. The truth is, the choice isn't mine - it's my mom's." I explained disdainfully._

_Jason gave me a sad look and put his hand on my shoulder. "We understand Perce. It's just that this is all so sudden. We need some time to come to terms about this." Jason said comfortingly and everyone else nodded in assent._

_I smiled weakly at him. That was Jason - always saying the right words when no one else could seem to find them._

_"I suppose we'll all say goodbye to you, and seeing as how I'm already here, I'll go first." Jason said, stepping back to study me._

_"You've changed a lot Percy, you've changed for the better. The first time that I saw you, you were a scrawny kid that looked scared senseless, but I know that there was a good reason behind that. Now you're so much more confident and sure of yourself. You're your own man now and that's really amazing to see. I'll miss that the most about you - your commitment, dedication, and belief in yourself." Jason concluded, falling back in line with the rest of the guys._

_Piper stepped up next. _

_"When I first saw you, I thought that you were an adorable troublemaker, but I could instantly see that there was more to you than met the eye, and I was right. You were always so kind, helpful, and funny. It was great to get to know you and I'll miss your personality the most." Piper said, giving me a warm hug._

_She stepped back with a sad smile on her face and Hazel stepped forward._

_"You've got a good heart Percy and that's the thing I admire the most about you. You're a good person and you never let your popularity get to your head. Like Jason said - You're your own man and that sense of independence is valuable and I hope that you never lose that. Just don't live life in regret - I'm sure you know better than anyone else that time slips away too quickly. Make the best of your time in New York." Hazel said and she also gave me a hug._

_Frank was next. "I'm glad that I met you Percy. You taught me to be confident in myself by example. The way you changed yourself was like a template for me and I've always looked up to you. You're brave and you stand up for others and I'm going to do my best to follow in your footsteps. I'll miss that the most about you Percy - your ability to stand up for what's right when no one else would." He concluded and clapped me on the back before returning._

_Leo was last. "You know, I'm too sad to even crack a joke right now." Leo said seriously and everyone laughed, including me. Leave it to Leo to break the tension with a perfectly positioned joke._

_"No but really, in all seriousness, I'll miss being able to pull pranks and hanging out with you. You always knew where the line was and while we fudged around with it, you never let us cross it. I'll miss that self-discipline that you had - you always had fun but you never passed your limits and that's a rare skill, most people can't do that. You're a great friend and you're also pretty hilarious, just not as funny as me." He said with a smile and I cracked a grin. _

_Leo stepped back and it took me a second to realize that everyone else was already crying, even Jason. My own eyes were feeling teary, but I held myself together, for the sake of everyone else._

_"Guys, don't cry. I'll be keeping in touch for each and everyone of you. I'm never forgetting you all. We'll have weekend Skype sessions until I die." I said with a weak smile._

_They all cracked up a little, but when Jason spoke, he was somber._

_"Dude, if we're this bad, I don't even want to think about what Reyna's going through." He said solemnly and the rest of the group looked at me sorrowfully._

_My heart throbbed in my chest. "I was going to talk to her alone, after I was done talking to you all." I said._

_"Go to her Percy. She needs you." Piper said, and I nodded curtly before turning around._

_I turned around once more before leaving. "This isn't goodbye." I said defiantly, meeting everyone's eyes. They all smiled and nodded and then began waving me off, telling me to go find Reyna._

_I ran out of the park, towards the school, knowing where I would find Reyna. As I ran, a sense of dread filled my body and I thought about how I was going to face her. She'd found out last week that I was leaving and she said that she needed some time to process what was happening. It hurt that she didn't want to see me, but I knew that she needed some time to herself._

_Reyna was sitting on a branch of the oak tree, wearing a backpack, her feet dangling off of the edge. She was looking into her lap, twiddling her fingers. I ran up to her and began making my way up the tree. Once I did, I scooted over to her and noticed the blank expression on her face. Instinctively, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and she fell into my chest and began to cry._

_"Shh, it's okay." I whispered, stroking her hair in a comforting gesture._

_"No! It's not okay! You're leaving! You won't be in my life anymore and I have no idea what I'm going to do without you." She sobbed into my chest._

_If it was possible, I felt even worse than I already did. "I'm not leaving you. Reyna, please realize that this isn't my choice to make." I choked out._

_"I know that, but that doesn't make it any easier to accept." She said, withdrawing herself from me._

_We locked eyes - black on green. Her eyes pierced through my soul, leaving my emotions bare and vulnerable. I hoped that she could see the pain and the regret in my eyes, as I saw the same thing in her own eyes. _

_"I'll never ever stop loving you. Not until the day I die." I said, pushing away a stray strand of hair that fell in front of her eyes._

_"Don't make promises you can't keep, Percy." She whispered to me, but I could tell she was pleased._

_"Well Ms. Lopez, you know I never break my promises..." I whispered, leaning and kissing her. _

_Her hands instinctively went to my hair just as mine went her hips. We stayed locked together, pouring every ounce of emotion we had into this one simple act. The strangled grunting noises we called "Words" would never begin to do our emotions justice or begin to explain the depth of our love for each other. _

_We broke away and I rested my forehead gently against hers and cupped her face with my hands. _

_"Don't you dare forget me." She whispered._

_I smiled weakly at her and said, "Never." Then I leant in for another kiss and we were at it again. _

_We finally stopped and her head rested on my shoulder as my arm wrapped around her, hugging her tightly. I kissed the crown of her head and she sighed in contentment._

_"No one will ever love you the way that you loved me, Percy. It's selfish, but that's what I'll miss the most about you. You're just so pure of heart, body, and mind - there's no one else that can even begin to compare to you." She whispered and I smiled against her hair._

_"I'm afraid, that after you go, I'll never love anyone else again." She continued._

_"Then don't." I whispered back simply, holding her even tighter._

_"Be realistic. We both know that long distance will never work out. You'll meet some other girl that will be everything that you've ever imagined, and you'll fall in love. It's not that I don't want to try, but I don't want to keep you away from other more deserving girls." Reyna said._

_I felt myself getting angry. "Stop. There will never be another girl that even comes close to you - none of them will ever have your wit, your beauty, or your heart. You have a zest for life Reyna, that is contagious and no girl will ever make me feel that way again. No girl will ever make me love life or love them the way that I love you." I said earnestly._

_Reyna didn't respond but instead took my free hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. I felt little sparks of electricity shoot up my arm like it always did when we held hands. It was such a simple gesture, but it meant so much - it signaled commitment, love, and permanence. _

_"If you want to stay together, then I'll be happy to do so." I said after a while._

_Reyna spoke a short while later. "Like I said, that won't work out. We can stay friends but I'm not going to be selfish - you're not just mine anymore Percy. You're only one guy and everyone wants you. I have to let you go so that you can be happy. We'll stay friends though and I'll Skype you every night." She said._

_I swallowed painfully and thought of something to say. "So are you breaking up with me?" I choked out._

_Reyna looked at me with a start and took my face in her hands. "What? No! Of course I'm not! I can't keep you all to myself anymore. But I can't pigeon hole you to me when we can't even see each other, Percy. You have to realize that!" She said passionately._

_I held her hand closer to my face. "But what if I want to be all yours? What if I don't want to be with anyone else?" I protested._

_Reyna groaned. "You're being impossible Percy! You're just saying that, but can you survive without me or another girl for an indefinite amount of time? What if we never see each other again? Are you going to love me unconditionally when all we can do is Skype each other?" She said angrily._

_I pursed my lips painfully and looked at her with longing. She was right of course. Practically speaking, maintaining our relationship was not possible. _

_"I'll miss you. So much." I whispered._

_Reyna's expression softened and she kissed me sweetly. "Me too, you knucklehead." She said with a weak smile._

_We both laughed and gazed into the sunset, our hands intertwined. _

_"I got you something." Reyna said, slinging her backpack off her shoulders._

_"What?" I asked her curiously._

_"Something to remember me by." She said simply, handing me the backpack._

_I unzipped it and peeked inside it. I pulled out a cyan blue Barcelona FC Away Jersey, Reyna's favorite shirt that she always wore. I gasped._

_"You sure you want me to have this?" I asked her._

_"Of course! Look at the back though." She said with a shy smile._

_I nodded and read the back. Where the section where the player's name was supposed to be, it had "Reyna Jackson" stitched in and her soccer number, 7, in the middle. I looked up at her, with emotion swimming in my eyes. _

_"I love it." I whispered resolutely._

_"Really? I thought you might think that it was creepy." She said nervously._

_I hugged her tightly. "I think that it's sweet." I said into her hair._

_"There's one final thing inside." She said and I went back in and retrieved a photo frame. It was one of those electronic photo frames that did slide shows of pictures. The pictures were all of the pair of us, just like the ones I had given in her photo album as a birthday. One picture specifically caught my eye - It was done in the same style my three panel picture had been done. Reyna was standing in front of her kitchen island holding three cupcakes up vertically so that I could see them. The first on had the word "I" written in and there was a little icing girl that I assumed was Reyna. The second one had a heart on it, and had the little icing Reyna holding hands with a little icing Percy. The final one said "You" and had a picture of a little icing Percy. _

_I smiled at her. "I love it. Thank you so much." I said and she smiled back at me._

_We stayed up in that oak tree for the rest of the night, holding hands, and eventually falling asleep in each other's arms. Before I fell asleep, Reyna peppered kisses all over my cheeks before finally making it to my lips..._

* * *

"Percy, Percy honey, wake up." My mom called out, shaking me, effectively interrupting my dream.

I fought back a groan because she had interrupted the best part. "What?" I asked her irritably, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"We've landed. Come on and get your bags." She said and I nodded.

An hour later, we had passed through baggage claim and everything and we were on our way to the suburbs of New York City. I remained silent through the entire car ride, ignoring my mom and Paul. I was furious with them, but I'd forgive them soon enough - I could never stay made at my mom for a long time.

Instead, I stared out the window, resting my face on my hand and thinking. I thought about Reyna mostly. I thought about the way she would smile. I thought about how flustered she would get when I kissed her cheek in public. I thought about how our hands would brush against each other before intertwining almost instinctively whenever we were together, and I vividly remembered the feeling of electricity passing through my hands when we did. I remembered how wonderful it was to kiss her or hold her. I remembered the way her face would light up whenever we were together and how she looked at me like she was seeing me for the last time everytime we were together.

God I missed her. I would do anything to spend some more time with her.

We pulled up to our new house soon enough and I walked in with my bags. I took inventory of my surroundings - the house was nice and bigger than our old house. It was really beautiful, but I was too depressed and tired to care. I unpacked quickly and pulled my laptop out, logging onto Facebook. There were a ton of notifications that I had to check, most of them regarding my latest status - _Moving sucks. _It was short and simple, but it got everything across. The commenters were all kids from school saying that they missed me, and I felt sad reading about it. _  
_

Then a chat box opened up. I frowned and then saw it was from Nico. I smiled to myself as I read his message.

_"Hey! You're back in New York now?" _Nico asked.

_"Yeah. For good this time." _I responded.

_"Sweet. We need to hang out tomorrow! Actually, hold up. There's a party tomorrow that Grover and I were thinking of hitting up. You interested?" _He asked.

I shook my head. _"Nah man, I'm jet lagged, depressed, and just generally not interested. Maybe sometime later." _

_"Dude, you owe us this much. We need to catch up and Grover and I have been dying to see you. Please?" _He asked.

I sighed in surrender. _"Fine, fine, I'll go to the stupid party, but only to see you two troublemakers again. I need more details though." _I responded.

_"Sweetness. Alright, the party is from 10 to 2 in the morning, but you can leave earlier if your mom won't let you stay that long. I heard that everyone from school will be there, so it's a pretty big party. It's at this sweet abandoned subway tunnel that we've been using as a party hall." _Nico said.

_"Fine. Can you give me a ride tomorrow? I still don't have my license yet. Also, I'll have to leave by midnight." _I responded.

_"Can't help you there, son. I'm younger than you, remember? Anyhow, no worries, Grover's picking me up and I'll just ask him to give you a ride too. What's your address?" _He asked.

I gave it to him and then we exchanged a couple pleasantries before I told him I was turning in. I got off my bed and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. I showered in the morning, but I needed to feel the warm water against me right now. After my shower, I walked back into my room and changed into some pajama's before sinking into my bed.

_I wonder how everyone is now? Would they accept me? Have they changed? Are the Stoll's still pranksters? Is Silena still a self centered airhead? Is Luke still an asshole? Is he still with Annabeth? _I thought to myself before stopping.

I shook my head in disdain. I didn't want to think about Annabeth. I didn't care who she was with anymore. I still dreaded the possibility of an encounter with her though. I wondered if she was going to the party. Nah, not Annabeth, she's a goody two shoes. She wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near a party. Then again, she did agree to go with Luke to Silena's party back in 8th grade, so maybe she goes to them now. I hope that I didn't run into her while I was there.

Little did I know how wrong I was.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and I hope the Percy/Reyna resolution was satisfactory. Just to clarify, the dream Percy had is a flashback of how the goodbyes actually went. I've been getting a lot of concerned reviews asking whether the story will have some Percy/Annabeth romance, so I'll issue an official statement: Yes, there will be some romance, but not for a while. Just sit tight though because it'll be meaningful when it actually does happen. As always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**


	12. Encounter

**Warning - There's a part in the chapter that gets a little "heated" so if you want to skip that part, go ahead. Also there's a big announcement in the A/N at the bottom - give it a read.**

**Encounter**

**Annabeth's POV:**

"Thalia, this is really stupid." I grumbled, straightening my sundress.

"Oh live a little, Annie!" Snorted the blue eyed girl besides me.

"Don't call me that." I snapped half-heartedly. Thalia called me that so much that my response practically had no effect.

The pair of us were walking towards the abandoned subway party hall after Thalia parked her car. The day was coming to an end and twilight prevailed, trying to transition into the night. Tonight was the big before-school party since the first day of school started tomorrow. It was a big affair and every big wig in high school was going to be there. Luke had asked me to come, but I turned him down saying that I wanted to be well rested for school the next day. Thalia however managed to annoy me into coming with her persistent nagging.

"You're just here to see Nico." I mumbled, trying to piss her off.

I succeeded - Thalia went the color of a beet and I could practically feel the embarrassment wafting off her. Despite my foul mood, I managed to laugh at her discomfort. She _so_ deserved it for dragging me along to this stupid party.

"Nuh-uh!" Thalia stammered, desperately trying to protest.

"Wow Thalia, that was _really_ convincing!" I said sarcastically and she gave me her classic death glare.

Then she broke into an evil smile and I grew worried. Thalia only did that when she was planning something truly sinister or diabolical. "Well, you wait until you see who else is going to be here." She said with a cheshire cat smile.

"Who's going to be there?" I asked her suspiciously.

Thalia's grin widened even more if such a thing was possible. "Just somebody that you'll want to meet." She said coyly.

I was not in the mood for her games, so I grabbed her and brought her down to my height. What? I'm short, okay so don't judge.

"Thalia, who's coming?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"It's a surprise Annie!" Thalia sang back gleefully.

I groaned and released my hold on her. Thalia practically dragged me to the stairs that led down to the abandoned tunnel. Even from the foot of the stairs, you could hear the music pounding and the noises of teenagers conversing. As we walked down, the noise intensified in volume to the point where I couldn't hear myself think. I cupped my ears and winced, unaccustomed to volumes like this. Thalia however looked unfazed, probably because she went to a lot of rock concerts.

"Wooh! Par-tay!" Thalia screamed as we finally made it to the lip of the tunnel.

I almost gasped at the sight before us.

Insanity. Pandemonium. Absolute Chaos.

Those are the words I would use to describe the spectacle before me. There were two massive floor speakers that were taller than I was, that were actually moving back and forth because the volume was so loud. Teenagers were everywhere; standing and conversing with drinks in hand, writhing on the dance floor like sexually active snakes, and generally just being teenagers.

By that I mean there was a kid, probably a senior, running around wearing a goat mask holding two cans of whipped cream. He ran around hollering on the top of his lungs, spraying whipped cream everywhere. Then there was this girl that looked like she had walked out of a Victoria's Secret catalogue by the way she was dressing. She was dancing around a pole and there was a crowd of guys surrounding her. Stranger still was a kid holding a torch, an actual torch with flames and stuff. He was spitting alcohol through it causing fireballs to form. The kid looked at Thalia and I and began to make his way over to us.

"Hey! Sup guys!" He called to us.

"Nico?!" Thalia said incredulously besides me.

My eyes widened as Nico lazily swung the torch with his hands, not caring at all that it was lit. "The one and only!" Nico said proudly standing in front of us.

"Have you been drinking, death breath?" Thalia demanded, starting to get really scary.

Nico gulped at her and I failed to suppress my smirk. Oh he was _so_ going to get it. "Maybe a teensy bit?" Nico said, holding his hands up and making a tiny space with his index finger and thumb.

"YOU WHAT?" Thalia raged and Nico winced. By this point, I couldn't even try to control my laughter - I was guffawing and doing my very best not to roll around on the floor. Maybe coming to the party wasn't such a bad idea after all...

Thalia stormed over to him and grabbed him by the ear and began to move her hand up and down. Some part of me was scared that she would tear his ear off, the other part wanted to sit back in a lawn chair with a bag of popcorn in hand.

"YOU ARE SO DEAD! D-E-A-D! DEAD!" Thalia shrieked into his ear so loudly that it could be heard over the music.

"Ow! Thalia stop! You're tearing my ear off!" Nico protested, pawing weakly at her hand.

"Do I look like I care?" Thalia screeched into his ear, only making him wince even more.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please let me go!" Nico begged as Thalia's grip on his ear tightened.

"Fine. This conversation is not over mister. I'll deal with you later, but right now we're going to dance." Thalia said firmly, dragging him away.

As they left, Nico began to talk. "So have you told Annabeth that Pe-" He said before Thalia cut him off.

"No! Shut up!" She hissed and I raised my eyebrows.

"Tell me what?" I asked them over the thundering of the music.

"Nothing!" They both chirped before running away and blending in with the dancing crowd.

"Weirdos" I muttered under my breath as I folded my arms over my chest.

Then it hit me.

_THALIA DITCHED ME! AT A PARTY! THAT SHE DRAGGED ME TO. OH MY GOD, SHE IS SO DEAD. _I thought in rage, positively squirming with anger.

My hand wiped my face as I tried to calm myself down. If I was going to stay at the party, I might as well go grab a drink or something.

And thus began my perilous journey to the punch bowl. I had to wade through the sea of kissing teens, cross the valley of pranksters, and climb the mountain of dancing hooligans - all in all, a most dangerous quest indeed. When I finally got to the punch bowl, I noticed a crowd of girls surrounding some guy a little way from my left. They were all the alpha-females, the populars, the creme de la creme if you will, and they were swarming this kid like bees to honey.

_I wonder what's got them so riled up. _I thought to myself as I poured myself a cup of punch.

I raised the liquid to my lips still watching the mob of females trying to catch this wonder boy's attention. I wanted to catch a glimpse of them because any boy that could have the attention of Drew Tanaka, Silena Beauregard, and Calypso Reynolds must have been some sort of god. I stood on my tips of my feet so that I could see him better. All I saw was midnight black hair and a hand rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. I almost laughed out loud - he looked really uncomfortable standing there and it looked like he wanted nothing more than to leave.

Suddenly, I felt a pair of hands slip around my waist and warm breath tickled my neck.

"Hey Annabeth" Luke whispered into my ear.

I shivered inadvertently in revulsion and had to resist the temptation to push him away from me. "Hey Luke." I mumbled as I tried to lessen his grasp on my hips. Instead of taking the hint, Luke's grip tightened on them and I winced in pain, but he took no heed.

"I thought you said you weren't coming?" Luke asked quietly, but I could detect the change in the tone of his voice - it grew menacing almost.

"Yeah, Thalia nagged me into it after hours of persuasion." I said lightly, hoping he wouldn't realize that I didn't want to come because he would be there.

"Guess I'm not persuasive enough." Luke breathed as he began nipping away at my neck.

I tried in vain to push his head away as he continued kissing down my neck. I winced as he bit down forcefully leaving a bruise. My eyes opened and I gazed helplessly at the crowd of girls and for a split second they meet two beautiful sea green, oddly familiar, eyes before they flitted away.

Then things started to go downhill. Luke's hand began to snake it's way up my shirt and it was obvious where he was heading. I could feel him grin against my neck and instantly his other hand locked both of mine behind my back, preventing them from resisting. I squirmed trying to break free but his hold on me only tightened. It was terrifying because we were in the middle of a crowd - anyone could see what was happening, but they were all to engrossed in their activities to realize.

"Don't scream, or you'll regret it." He snarled and his hand reached the base of my bra.

"Stop." I whispered deathly quiet, trying to make him understand.

I looked around desperately, hoping and praying that someone would notice my discomfort and make him stop. Tears welled up in my eyes as his finger toyed with the base of my bra, skimming my breasts. My breathing quickened as panic set in. We had never done this, or rather, I had never allowed him to do this. He had always been frustrated with me, calling me a prude whenever I stopped him, so he must be taking out his anger on me now.

"Please don't be angry." I begged as tears silently streamed down my face.

Then suddenly Luke's grasp was torn away from my arms and his hand flew out of my shirt. I gasped and turned around to see a tall, muscular boy standing in front of me and Luke was on the floor, holding his bloody nose. It took me a second to process that this mystery boy had saved me from Luke.

"What the hell?" Luke roared and he stood up, drawing himself to full height. This was not going to end well for the mystery boy - Luke was captain of the football team and he worked out a lot. If this came to blows, Luke would win easily.

The mystery boy didn't look at all rattled and instead gave off waves of cold rage, only this kid's rage was on an entirely different level than Luke's. To use an analogy, Luke was a candle stick and this kid was an inferno. I cast a quick glance at the girl posse and noticed they had all broken their formation and were all glaring at me.

_Huh, wonder boy must be gone... _I thought to myself, despite the circumstances.

I studied the boy's back in wonder and saw that he wearing a jersey. It was obvious that he was in shape - muscle rippled along his back, and his arms looked like they had been chiseled by gods. He had medium length ebony colored hair that was combed in a windswept style. The jersey he was wearing had some name stitched on it - Reyna Jackson.

Then I put two and two together. The kid in front of me was Percy Jackson and he was also the object of the alpha's fascination. Seeing him now, it was no wonder why. From the back, he looked gorgeous, so I assumed he must kill people with looks from the front.

"I'm going to give you two seconds to run away before I kick your ass." Percy said in a completely calm voice, but I knew that behind his words there was rage churning like the stormy sea.

"Fuck you! Who are you to rip me away from my girlfriend?" Luke screamed.

Percy tensed ever so slightly at the word girlfriend and I instantly felt bad. "I'm pretty sure she doesn't want you feeling her up in public. Now last chance, _leave_." Percy said so menacingly, I felt a shiver ran through my body even though it was eighty degrees outside.

Luke did the stupid thing and took a swing at him. Percy moved so fast I couldn't process what was happening. All I could see was Percy move ever so slightly and Luke getting propelled backwards like he had collided with a train. Luke collapsed on the ground and he howled in pain. Percy advanced on Luke and I reached out to stop him, but I thought better of it - Percy was fricking pissed and I would probably screw things up if I talked to him.

Instead of punching him like I thought Percy would, Percy sat down on top of Luke, bent down to his ear, and whispered something. The sight must have been kind of strange to any casual observer, but to me it was terrifying. Then Luke's face drained of blood and he went bone limp. Percy lightly slapped Luke's cheek, stood up, and left without a word.

I watched him go and was terrified that Luke would stand up and try something again, but instead Luke shakily stood up before sauntering off somewhere else. My gaze instantly followed Percy's retreating form as he started to walk out of the subway tunnel. I cast a hasty glance around me and noticed that everyone was staring at me. I quickly ran after him, weaving my way in and out of the crowd.

I burst out of the suffocating tunnel and into the street, breathing in the fresh night air. Percy was about ten feet away from me, walking purposefully towards the parking lot.

"Hey! Wait!" I called after him, trying to keep up in my flats.

Instead of slowing down, he sped up, shoving his hands into his pant pockets. I broke out into a run and as I drew near him, I placed a hand on his shoulder and spun him around, hard.

That was the first look I got of the new Percy Jackson. Now I knew what all the fuss was about. Percy was freaking gorgeous. He was taller now, about 6'1 or 6'2 and he had a body that would have made Taylor Lautner jealous. Gone was the scrawny boy that I had known in middle school. Instead he was replaced by a god with a six pack that was visible through his jersey. Percy's hair was as black and windswept as always, only now it made him look strangely seductive as opposed to messy.

Then I got to his eyes and I was not at all expecting what I saw. Percy's eyes were still a gorgeous sea green, but now they were almost feral looking - cold, hard, and dangerous. At heart, they were still the same as they always had been but their aura had changed somehow. They weren't warm, familiar, or happy anymore and that made me feel uneasy. Nothing passed through Percy's eyes when he saw me - not regret, not recognition, not anger, not anything. That made me feel even more nervous.

"Umm, hey Percy." I said awkwardly.

In response, Percy brushed my hand off of his shoulder and turned away to continue walking.

"Hey! I'm talking to you." I said irately, starting to become angry.

"You are, aren't you?" was his sardonic response. His voice was deeper and sounded like rushing water.

I grabbed him again and ignored the feel of his muscles underneath my slender fingers.

"I am not done with you." I said as I spun him around. He remained as aloof as ever.

"Well I'm done with you. See you later Annabeth." Percy said coldly before turning to walk again, but I tightened my grip on him.

Percy's fluorescent eyes gleamed dangerously in the moonlight.

"I, uh, wanted to thank you for what you did back there. I'm glad you stopped him from doing that." I said ineloquently.

_Geez, what is wrong with me? Why can't I talk to him? _I thought to myself in frustration.

Again there was no response on Percy's end. I opened my mouth to begin saying something when he spoke. "No girl should be treated like that. Even you." He said flatly.

My eyebrows furrowed and I crossed my hands over my chest.

"What do you mean 'even you'?" I asked him aggressively.

Percy didn't give me an inch. "You know what I mean: Even a girl that treats her best friend like scum, betrays him, and continues to date his tormentor. Even she doesn't deserve to be sexually harassed." He said coldly and his words cut into me like knives.

"So you're still not over that, huh?" I asked him quietly.

Percy laughed a harsh, grating laugh that made my blood run cold. "You think people forget things like that? You think that things well get all better just because you said sorry? You think that begins to make up for what you did to me? Well then you're not as smart as I thought you were. I will never forget what you did and I will never _ever_ forgive you." He said harshly.

I opened my mouth and gaped like a fish. "I did what I could to make up for my mistakes, I tried, I-" I began before he turned away and cut me off.

"You know what? This was all a big mistake. I should never have come. I'm going home." He said sharply and began to walk away.

As he walked, I exploded. "Then why did you accept my friend request?!" I called angrily after him.

Percy stopped and stood still, but he didn't turn around. "Because I pitied you," was his simple response before he continued walking.

He left me standing there alone, wallowing in regret. Tears threatened to pool into my eyes for the first time since he had left. I covered my eyes with my hands and angrily wiped away my tears, choking back a sob. Percy's words hurt me more than any of Luke's actions from tonight.

I felt a pair of comforting hands on my shoulder and I looked up to see Malcolm. He was going to Columbia here so he still hadn't left. He told me he was going to the party just to socialize with his underclassmen friends. Malcolm pulled me in for a brotherly embrace and I fell into his arms and cried my heart out.

Malcolm let me have my fill before breaking away. "I'm going to drive you home alright?" He asked gently.

I nodded slightly in affirmation and Malcolm's face broke into a grin. He gently ruffled my hair and that elicited a choked laugh on my end.

"Come on, let's go." He said as he led me to his car.

That night, I locked my door and I collapsed on my bed without changing into my pajama's, ignoring my parent's concerned requests to open the door. I screamed into my pillow for hours until my voice gave out and became hoarse. Then I cried myself to sleep as I thought about how I had wronged Percy and that I deserved everything that was coming to me.

The last cogent thought I formed before sleep took me was this: _I'm so sorry, Percy. _

* * *

**A/N: Hello Everyone! I hope that you enjoyed the chapter - all caps, for the win. The ball is finally rolling and from here on out, there will just be straight up plot action, so buckle up! Sorry about Luke being a pervert and about Percy being so mean, but it's for the good of the story. Sigh. Poor Annabeth. As always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**

**I HAVE A NEW STORY UP - It's called Wolf's Law and if you like this story, you'll love this new one. Please give it a read if you have time - it would really mean a lot to me!**


	13. First Day Back In Hell

**First Day Back In Hell**

**Percy's POV:**

The morning after the party which was also the first day of school, I was livid. Nico and Thalia had been behind this - they knew that she was going to be there. Nico knew how I felt about her and he didn't bother to warn me that she might attend. Grumbling to myself, I turned on the cold water as I stepped into the shower after brushing my teeth.

Once I finished my shower, I walked into my room and picked out some clothes. I wore a pair of gray jeans and I slipped on Reyna's favorite jersey to show girls that I was taken, or at the very least, to piss them off and make them jealous. Apparently it didn't work because at the party, girls came to me in swarms and took absolutely no heed of the jersey. It didn't matter though, it was all about sending a subconscious signal and the shirt did that - it signaled that I was never going to be interested.

My mom wordlessly slid me a plate of blue blueberry pancakes as I sat at the dinner table. Paul was already at the table, reading the Wall Street Journal and sipping some coffee. He looked up from the paper with a smile and I quickly pieced a smile together, despite how mad I was.

"You want me to drive you to school today, Percy?" He asked me.

I nodded and shot him a grateful smile as I swamped my pancakes in maple syrup. "Yeah, that would be great!" I said happily.

Paul was a good guy and I liked him a lot - he was good for mom and that's what mattered to me the most. He always tried to be lenient with me and he helped me with my homework when I didn't understand it. It was nice having your own personal teacher at home to teach you material that you didn't understand the first time around.

My mom looked at the pair of us and smiled as she handed me my lunch. I accepted it with a smile and stuffed it into my backpack. Once Paul and I finished with our breakfast, I slid my backpack on one of my shoulders and we walked to his Prius. The drive to school was done in comfortable silence as we thought about how our days were going to be.

Soon we were at school and I quickly stepped out as Paul went to go park. I was hell bent on finding Nico and chewing him out about the debacle that happened yesterday night. Nico was talking with Grover and the Stolls near some lockers. I stalked up to him in fury and pulled him away without any explanation. I found an empty classroom, shoved him inside, and locked the door behind me.

Nico swallowed audibly when I turned to face him with rage in my eyes.

"Look, I know what you're going to say, so I'll beat you to it - I was wrong for not telling you that Annabeth was coming and I apologize." He said hastily, but I wasn't going to let him off so easily.

"Wrong doesn't even _begin_ to cover for your stupidity last night! You know how I feel about her, you know what happened between us, and you _still_ went ahead and made me come!" I raged and Nico quivered.

"I said I was sorry." Nico mumbled.

I sighed heavily and closed my eyes before slumping to the floor and clasping my hands in front of my mouth. "Nico, I don't want anything to do Annabeth - she's hurt me too much." I said quietly and Nico's scared expression transformed into one of guilt.

He walked over to me and sat down, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I know Perce and I truly am sorry. What she did to you was unforgivable, but give her a chance - she's not the same person that she used to be." Nico began gently, but I cut him off.

"Don't. Don't make excuses for her. She had her chance to make things right, but she didn't take it. She made her choices and now I've made mine. That's all there is to it." I said wearing a painful smile.

Nico merely nodded and helped me up. "Come on, we have to get to class. Don't want to be late on the first day." He said and I grinned.

"Don't want to be late, huh? Who are you and what have you done with Nico?" I asked him and he just laughed.

The classes went by pretty uneventfully and I was relieved that Annabeth wasn't in any of my classes. During the entire day however, she was all that I could think about. Some part of me wanted to forgive her, but there was this darker, colder side to me that I didn't know I had that refused all notions of forgiveness. It was a surprisingly strong force and it easily overcame the temptations to be friends with her again. I found it mildly disturbing since this was like an invisible side to my persona until today.

Girls tried to flirt with me all day, but I let them know that I wasn't interested. These were girls that used to make fun of me for being scrawny and they used to look at me like I was a disease. That's all I could think about when I saw them and I desperately wanted to upset them by bringing it up but I didn't have the heart to.

Then lunch rolled around I made my way over to a table where Nico, Beckendorf, Grover, and the Stoll's were already seated. I was about to make it there when three girls cut me off and I was swamped by the smell of designer perfume. Standing in front of me were Silena Beauregard, Calypso Reynolds, and Drew Tanaka - they were the most popular girls in school and they could get any boy that they wanted to.

"Hey Percy..." Drew said, trying to be seductive but ultimately making me more irritated.

"Ladies, I am not in the mood right now and I would really appreciate it if you would step aside and let me enjoy my food." I said politely even though I had half a mind to dump my food on them.

Calypso turned around and her nose wrinkled when she saw my table. She grabbed me arm and her thumb began to rub small circles. "Why don't you ditch those losers and come sit with us?" She asked, also trying to be seductive.

Rage boiled on the inside. _No one, and I mean no one, insults my friends. _I thought in rage.

All pretenses of civility left me and I spoke harshly and sardonically. "You know, when I look at you all, all I can see are three insecure, scared little girls who crave attention so much that they throw themselves at any decent looking boy they see. Now that might work on the rest of the idiots that go to school here, but it won't work on me. When I look at you all, all I see are the girls that made fun of me everyday in middle school." I began and the three of them looked like they got hit with shovels. It was obvious that they didn't remember. After all, why would they? I was just another victim, just another play thing for them.

"Calypso, I still remember the time that you made your boyfriend dump his pasta all over me. Then you dragged me to the middle of the cafeteria and laughed at me. Silena, I remember the time you thought it would be funny to see me in lipstick that I couldn't wash off. Everybody in school laughed at me that day and I got beat up so many times because of that, you have no idea." I said harshly, and the both of them looked down, ashamed of themselves.

I finally turned to Drew, saving the worst for last. "And Drew, oh the stories I could tell. There was the time when you thought it would be great to personally watch your fan club beat the shit out of me while you laughed and video taped the whole thing. Then there was the time that you accused me of trying to sexually assault you in class. You have no idea how ashamed my mother was when she received a phone call from the principal, telling her that her only son attempted to grope a girl in his class. Oh, then there's my favorite one - when you spread rumors about me kissing Annabeth all over school. Annabeth was devastated - she thought you ruined her chances with Luke for good, and it broke my heart. You can mess with me all you want, but when you get my friends involved then we're going to have problems." I concluded.

Then I addressed all three of them. "I will never forget what the three of you did to me and how ashamed I was of myself everytime I went home to explain to my mother that I was just a victim of three witches that had nothing better to do with their free time than to harass an innocent boy that never hurt anyone. You all repel and disgust me and you're _insane_ if you ever think that I will ever think about you with feelings even remotely approaching indifference. Now get out of my sight - you're ruining my appetite." I spat out and the three of them had tears in their eyes.

"Percy, we're so sorry - We never meant to-" Silena began tearily, but I cut her off with a harsh laugh.

"Save your bull shit for someone that cares. The only reason you're sorry is because you missed the chance to sleep with another guy. If I had come back here looking the same, you wouldn't have cared. In fact, you probably would have went right back to making fun of me." I said bitterly and sardonically.

All of them burst into tears at the same time and left the lunch room, sobbing. I looked up to see the entire lunch room paying attention to our conversation. I cast a wary look around and recognized familiar faces - faces that had made my childhood a living hell. Suddenly, I wanted to get away from it all, I wanted to be away from these plastic faces that smiled at me like they cared. They were fake. All of them. I set my tray down carefully before storming out of the room, feeling everyone's eyes on me all the while.

Just before I walked out, I could see Annabeth looking at me, her eyes filled with sorrow and guilt. My face hardened even more and I hastened out of the cafeteria, away from the disapproving eyes. They pitied me. I could see it in their eyes.

I almost snorted at the irony of it all. They pitied me, as if I was somehow the one deserving of it. I have a heart, I have a conscience, I have emotions - unlike those monsters seated in that lunch room.

God, I missed Chicago already.

I pulled my iPhone out and texted Reyna, desperately wanting to see her again.

_Hey, Rey - Can you facetime for a bit? - Perce_

It took about ten seconds to receive a response.

_Yeah sure. Let me get myself out of class. Anything wrong? - Rey_

_We can talk about it on Facetime - Perce_

I walked outside and sat on a bench in the school courtyard by the horticulture club's garden. It was pleasantly warm outside since it was September and there was a gentle breeze blowing. The flowers in the garden were beautiful and made me think about the times Reyna and I would visit the botanical gardens back in Chicago. My heart throbbed languidly and I felt a physical ache. My hands scrunched up my jersey in a gesture of pain when Reyna's face popped up on my screen.

"Hey Percy! Nice shirt, where'd you get it?" She asked me with a devilish smile.

"Hey Rey, and I know - this really cool, beautiful, and amazing girl gave it to me. I think you might like her." I said with a grin, and she laughed.

A familiar warmth spread through my body and I instantly felt better. "A penny for your thoughts?" She asked me and I sighed.

"Coming back is just as bad as I thought it would be." I whispered, staring off at a flower getting attacked by ladybugs.

Reyna winced. "That bad, huh?" She asked and I nodded.

"It's just that everytime I see anyone, I can only remember the horrible things that they did to me when I was younger. I just chewed out a couple of plastics about that when they tried to flirt with me." I said wearily, suddenly feeling very tired.

Reyna's face hardened and I smiled. "Someone's jealous." I teased her and she rolled her eyes.

"As if. Besides the shirt should have scared them off." She said unconvincingly.

"They're too dumb to take the hint. I love the shirt though." I said shaking my head.

She smiled at me. "Good. I'm glad." She said happily.

"Did you meet up with Annabeth again?" She asked me curiously.

I looked off at the flower again, trying to formulate a response. "Yeah, I uh, kind of saved her from getting violated by her boyfriend." I stammered.

"Violated by her boyfriend?" She asked me incredulously.

"Yeah, he was feeling her up in public and she was clearly feeling distressed. I don't know - when I saw her all helpless and at the mercy of that asshole, something burst on the inside. Next thing I knew, I was in front of her, protecting her, and he was on the ground holding his broken nose." I said emotionlessly.

"Well it's a good thing you stepped in. The guy was Luke wasn't it?" She asked me and I didn't answer.

"That guy gets on my nerves." Reyna muttered darkly and I grunted in response.

"You and me both." I said.

"Well, about remembering the bad things about all your old peers, why not give them a chance? Maybe they've changed now and I bet there a couple of them that regret doing those things to you." She said helpfully, but I shook my head.

"I won't know if they're genuinely sorry or if they're just trying to suck up to me since I'm the new boy toy here." I muttered.

"At this point, you just need to take what you can get. Who knows? They might not be genuine now, but that doesn't mean that they won't ever be. Interacting with them and being nice will be like killing them with kindness, and that's the best type of revenge." Reyna said and I grinned.

"I love your diabolical little mind, you know that?" I asked her.

"Little?!" She asked angrily and I chuckled.

"Figure of speech, Rey." I said in response and she rolled her eyes.

"Don't make that mistake again." She said simply, trying not to smile.

"Wouldn't dream of it." I said with a smile.

"Well, I am probably keeping you from class. I better let you go then." I said regretfully.

Reyna waived it off. "It's just AP Calc, nothing my 'little' brain can't handle." She said cheekily.

"You're a feisty one, aren't you?" I grinned.

Reyna's eyes narrowed. "You asking to die, Jackson?" She asked me in complete seriousness.

"Maybe I am Lopez, you got a problem with that?" I asked her arrogantly.

"You're the one that might have trouble walking after I'm done with you." She huffed and I laughed, causing her to laugh.

"I should go. I miss you and I love you!" Reyna said before blowing a kiss.

I smiled back at her. "Love you too!" I said before the call hung up.

The faint sound of rustling and running feet made me look up from my phone quickly. My heart sank at the thought that I hadn't been alone for the conversation, but then I saw the familiar princess curls flowing behind in the wind. The fact that Annabeth Chase had spied on my conversation with my ex-girlfriend and had run away like she was, dare I say, _jealous_ made me feel strange and very confused.

I merely stood up and shook my head, before heading back into the school to go to my final class.

* * *

**Annabeth's POV:**

As I sat down in English class, I stared out through the window, thinking about what I had just seen. After Percy stormed out of the lunchroom after his "interaction" with the plastics, I had gotten up to follow him. He walked while texting and then he sat down in the courtyard. I finally worked up the courage to go and talk to him when his face lit up as he talked to someone through facetime on his iPhone.

He was talking to a girl and judging by the way his face lit up, I had a pretty good idea who it was that he was talking to. I know that I should have left to give him some privacy, but curiosity won out and I stood there, hiding behind some bushes. Percy and Reyna joked a lot like good friends, but it was obvious from the tones of their voices that they were very much in love. I know that what happened between them wasn't as much a break up as it was an acknowledgment of the futility of their relationship. Bottom line: They still weren't done with each other and they would probably be life long friends.

Familiar pangs of jealousy coursed through my body as I silently eavesdropped on their conversation. It hurt that Percy was so willing to open up to her and that he hated being back here.

Without meaning to, I found myself staring at his appearance. He was wearing the same cyan Barcelona FC soccer jersey with Reyna's name stitched on the back. My throat constricted because I knew that he was sending a subconscious signal to everyone in school that he was a taken man. He was wearing it to make any girl that wanted to talk to him feel uncomfortable. I thought that it was a pretty douchey move, but I admired him for it. With his looks, he could've gotten any girl that he wanted to here, but he remained faithful to her - it was kind of romantic actually.

His windswept raven hair fluttered gently with the wind and made him look mysterious and alluring. As I noted last night, his eyes were feral looking and they showed no warmth or weakness. When he talked to Reyna however, it was like they physically changed, looking the way that they used to back when we were in middle school and he used to look at me.

_God, I am so stupid. He only looked like that to me before because he was in love with me, but I was too lovestruck with Luke to realize it. _I thought to myself, almost face palming.

Percy's change in appearance wasn't what attracted me to him or made me want to talk with him again. It was the fact that I had destroyed the only meaningful relationship in my life, that made me want to rebuild it. I don't have a proper relationship with anyone - my parents, especially my father and I, don't see eye to eye after he remarried. I felt like he was trying to replace my mother some how. Then the rest of my friends were never really as close to me as Percy was. Thalia was the closest person to me now, but she didn't have the same magic touch or common friend sense that Percy did. Percy always knew how to cheer me up, make me laugh, or make me feel special. Around him, I felt truly happy and accepted which is something that I never felt with anyone else.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard Reyna say my name.

"Did you meet up with Annabeth again?" She asked him curiously.

_Percy told her about me? Oh god, kill me now. She probably thinks I am the worst person ever... _I thought to myself in dread, and my heart began beating faster.

Percy looked off at a random flower and remained silent for a while. I found myself holding my breath for unknown reasons.

"Yeah, I uh, kind of saved her from getting violated by her boyfriend." He stammered and I felt incredibly embarrassed.

_Why would he tell her that?! _I thought in anger.

"Violated by her boyfriend?" She asked him incredulously.

"Yeah, he was feeling her up in public and she was clearly feeling distressed. I don't know - when I saw her all helpless and at the mercy of that asshole, something burst on the inside. Next thing I knew, I was in front of her, protecting her, and he was on the ground holding his broken nose." He said emotionlessly.

I didn't know what to make of that - it could have been platonic or it could have been something more...

_No, I am deluding myself. He's talking about me the way an older brother talks about his sister. _I thought to myself.

"Well it's a good thing you stepped in. The guy was Luke wasn't it?" She asked him and he didn't answer.

My heart fell again. _He told her about Luke... _I stated to myself.

"That guy gets on my nerves." Reyna muttered darkly and he grunted in response.

"You and me both." Percy said.

The rest of their conversation was Reyna giving Percy advice and the both of them flirting and joking around. It made me sick to my stomach, but I didn't say anything. Their conversation soon drew to a close.

"I should go. I miss you and I love you!" Reyna said and then I heard some sort of kissing noise.

Percy smiled back at his phone. "Love you too." He said before I heard a tell tale click, telling me their conversation was over.

For some reason, hearing Percy say that to her was infinitely worse than knowing that he felt that way. It made it official and cemented their bonds together which was too much for me to handle. Before I could process what was happening, I ran to my last class - English.

I didn't have any classes with Percy, but I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Soon, students began to mill into the classroom and take their seats. The last two people to enter the room were Percy and an older looking man with salt and pepper gray hair who I presumed was the teacher. Percy and the teacher were laughing about something and then he clapped Percy on the back and sent him off to find a seat.

_Oh god, he's heading this way. Quick Annabeth, look natural. Be cool. Be cool. _I chanted in my head as Percy casually slid into his seat without taking any notice of me. I quelled the feelings of disappointment that threatened to overcome me.

It was the only open seat in the room, so it wasn't like he had much of a choice. My fingers were subconsciously twirling my hair like they always did when I got nervous or upset.

"Hello everyone! My name is Paul Blofis - that's Blofis not Blowfish." He said with a smirk and looked at Percy who was also wearing a smirk.

"You can call me Paul, Mr. Blofis, or Mr. B. If you come up with a cool and appropriate nickname, then you'll be on my good side. Well let's get straight to it - this year we're covering major literary works. After all, this is AP Literature and Composition, so expect a lot of reading." Mr. Blofis continued.

The rest of the class went by relatively quickly - Mr. B was a great teacher. One thing that surprised me was that Percy was actually paying attention in class. Not only that, he was able to answer every question right. I found the experience very unsettling and resolved to ask him about it at a later date.

The class period was drawing to a close when Mr. Blofis got everyone's attention. "Alright everyone, two final things - I have some good news and some bad news. Which would you like to hear first?" He asked, rubbing his palms together.

"Good News!" The class chorused together.

Mr. Blofis smiled. "No homework tonight!" He said happily and the class cheered.

Then he reigned us in, pressing his palms downwards in a suppressing motion. "Hang on, hang on, don't like me too much yet. The bad news is that you have a project due at the end of the quarter." He said and the class groaned.

"Don't worry though, all you have to do is write a report on either a classic book, poem, or play of your choosing. It's relatively simple and you get partners." He said with a grin and the entire class perked up at the word "partners". Instantly, everyone began to eye potential partners, which meant that all the girls stared hungrily at Percy who looked unfazed about the whole thing.

"I've put all of your names into these two hats - all the girls in the hat to my left, and all the boys in the hat to my right. If I did my math right, then each of you should have partner's of the opposite gender. Now I'm going to select two names at random from each hat and you shall be paired with the individual that is read in conjunction with your name. Simple enough? Questions? Too bad, because I'm not answering them." Mr. Blofis said with a smirk and the class laughed.

"Alrighty then, let's get started. Our first dynamic duo will be: Katie Gardener and Travis Stoll!" He said and everyone clapped loudly.

"Our next power couple will be: Laura Benson and Jake Mason!" Mr. Blofis continued and again, the class cheered.

It went on like this for a while and finally my name was called. "Annabeth Chase and... Percy Jackson!" Paul called out triumphantly and the entire class went silent. The girls glared at me in hatred and the boys shifted uncomfortably, talking about how pissed Luke would be.

Percy however, betrayed no emotion while I squirmed nervously in my desk. Mr. Blofis's eyes narrowed and a gleam of realization passed through his eyes before quickly disappearing.

"Sorry you two, rules are rules." He said painfully and I nodded slightly.

Percy cleared his throat and spoke, his deep voice rumbling like thunder. "It's fine Paul. I'm sure everything will turn out fine." He said reassuringly and Paul smiled at him and nodded.

The class period ended shortly after and I packed my stuff slower than usual to talk with Percy. About the project of course, and not because I totally wanted to talk to my only best friend who was also the boy I was madly in love with.

"Hey Perce, where do you want to meet for the project?" I asked him.

He turned around from his backpack to look at me. As always, looking at him made my heart flutter uncontrollably inside my body.

"There's a Starbucks near my place we can go to. You want to go today?" He asked me, and I felt like he was just trying to get it over with as soon as possible.

"Umm, yeah sure. It's just that I have debate practice after school. Are you fine waiting? Oh god, sorry, I'll just skip. I'm sure the coach won't mind." I stammered inarticulately.

I felt myself growing frustrated at my inability to talk to him about ... well anything!

_Gosh, why is this so difficult?! _I berated myself internally.

Percy waived it off. "It's fine - go to practice. I'll stay after school and maybe hit the library to see what we can read. Meet me at the front entrance in about two hours. Practice should be over by then, right?" He asked.

I nodded in assent. "Two hours. Front entrance. Got it!" I said brightly.

"Kay, see you then." He said before walking out of the room.

Debate practice went fine, but I was thinking about Percy and the project the entire time.

_Since when did Perseus Jackson pay attention in class, or go to the library?! None of this makes any sense to me. What happened to the Percy that I used to know? Who's this new guy that's replaced him? _I thought to myself in wonder.

Percy's transformation stumped and disturbed me, but I couldn't think about such a complex and multi-faceted issue in debate practice. I resolved to mull it over in the safety of my own home.

Practice ended and I collected my things, heading over to the library to find Percy. The library was locked so he must have gone somewhere else after it did. I wandered the halls, trying to find him because I still had about fifteen minutes before I was supposed to head to the front entrance. No matter where I went - the pool, Paul's room, the gym, the work out area, the track outside, empty classrooms - I couldn't find him. I was wearily walking around when I stumbled into the music department - it was the only place I hadn't checked, but I knew finding him in there would be a long shot.

I froze when I heard the sound of a piano coming from one of the practice rooms. Carefully, I made my way towards it and the music grew louder. My head poked up against the glass and I was surprised to see Percy playing the piano with his eyes closed. The melody he was playing was really fast, agitated, and almost maniacal. His fingers flew expertly over the ivory keys and teased out the sounds. I closed my eyes and relished the sound and complexity of the piece he was playing. I instantly fell in love with it. It was one of those pieces you could see a cartoon Beethoven going crazy over on TV. For some reason, I felt like the piece kind of described Percy - it was complex, confused, and kind of crazy.

Percy concluded the piece after repeating the melody very quietly, one final time. Then without warning he stood up, collected his bag, and turned around. I froze against the door, trying to look casual and not at all like I was watching him play. For some reason, I felt like I had stumbled on something dark and intimate that I was not supposed to see.

Percy opened the door and I did my best to look natural.

"Annabeth?" He asked in polite puzzlement.

"Oh hey Percy! I was just, you know, walking around and then I bumped into you here. Fancy that!" I said very unconvincingly.

"Yeah, fancy that... If you were walking around, why is your back against the wall, right next to the practice room that I was playing in?" He asked me cautiously, clearly not believing my lame excuse.

"I was, uh, well, umm, I was kind of avoiding someone." I stammered.

"Avoiding someone." Percy repeated back simply.

"Yeah." I said more confidently.

"Who?" He asked me, still clearly not believing it.

"Drew Tanaka. She wouldn't stop harassing me about being partners with you for English, so I didn't want to run into her, okay?" I said convincingly. It was a pretty believable lie, but Percy's feral eyes could see right through my deception.

"Did you like it?" He whispered quietly.

"Did I like what?" I asked in confusion.

"The piece. I know you were standing here the whole time." Percy stated simply.

"I, uh, um, I wasn't standing here." I stammered again.

"Don't lie." Percy said flatly and his words hit me like bricks.

I swallowed audibly and my hands felt really clammy. "Yes, I admit I was standing here. I did like the piece. What was it called?" I asked him curiously, finally dropping my untenable excuse.

Percy's mouth curved upwards slightly in the smallest bearing of a smile. "Cohen's Masterpiece by Garry Schyman." He said simply.

"I thought it was wonderful. It sounded really complex, agitated, and slightly insane." I confessed and Percy nodded.

"That's the intended effect. Now come on, let's get going to Starbucks." He said, and he held out his hand.

I gulped and took it in my own, but Percy shot me a frown. He removed my hand from his and held it at his side. "I was pointing to the exit." He explained, still frowning.

"Oh, okay." I said awkwardly.

Percy gave me a suspicious look before walking away. I followed behind him, shuffling my feet in embarrassment.

_Oh Athena, have mercy on my soul. _I thought as I looked at the boy walking ahead of me.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you have had a great holiday season! New Years Eve is approaching which means my birthday is as well - I was born on the 31st. Enough about me, this chapter was really long and is kind of like a belated Christmas present. Annabeth's so awkward it's adorable, and I still like Percy's aloofness. The part where he talked to the plastics made me kind of sad because I know what it's like to get picked on. I can't imagine how awful it must be to go back to someplace like that after all that happened to him. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and as always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**

**You should really give the song I mentioned a listen. It's really brilliant and pretty short. Youtube the song name and you should get results quickly. Bonus points if you know where it's from without looking!**


	14. The Raven

**The Raven**

**Annabeth's POV:**

I took a seat down besides Percy at the Starbucks to discuss our English project. We sat down on one of those comfy armchairs and I set my iced latte down besides me. Percy insisted that he didn't want a drink, so he just dropped his backpack on his lap and began to fish around inside. I twirled my hair nervously around my finger, feeling awkward in the silence that was surrounding us.

_Oh, boy! They're playing John Mayer. That's absolutely fascinating! _I thought to myself sarcastically, trying to distract myself.

As I looked at him searching his backpack, the image of Percy's mangled body before he left flashed before my eyes and I felt my throat tighten. My episodes have been getting worse ever since he got back. After he left, I had nightmares about the sight of Percy's broken body almost every night and some days, I could see little glimpses of interactions with him after he had clearly gotten wailed on, but I was too stupid to realize.

For example, there was a time when I saw him walking to his bus with a bruise the size of an apple on his shoulder blade, but I was with Luke at the time so I didn't follow him. When Luke saw me looking at him, he smiled to himself and I didn't know why, but now I do I guess.

I figured it was about time to begin talking about the project, so I cleared my throat expectantly. Percy peered up from his backpack with a frown, his sea green eyes devoid of emotion. My throat suddenly went dry when that familiar, comfortable drowning sensation that I always experienced when I looked into his eyes reared up again.

"Yes?" Percy trailed off, still frowning.

I felt my face heat up slightly. "I was wondering if you had any ideas about what we could read for the English project." I asked him politely.

It took me by surprise when he shook his in affirmation, burying his face back into his backpack, attempting to find something again. Truthfully, I didn't expect Percy to have a book ready – I remembered that he used to hate books before he left because he had dyslexia. It seems like he finally found a way around it, and I made a mental note to ask him about it at a later time.

Percy's head reemerged and he carried a thick book entitled, "The Poems and Tales of Edgar Allen Poe" and he handed it to me with an expectant look on his face.

I frowned. "Poe? You want to read Poe?" I asked him, probably a little more incredulously than I should have because he took offense to it.

He scowled at me before answering. "Why? Am I too stupid to read his work?" he asked me angrily.

I felt incredibly flustered as I stammered out my response. "No! No, that's not what I'm saying. It's just that Poe's stories are really weird and confusing, so I was thinking that we would have a hard time."

Percy's posture softened considerably. "Well, he's a bit hard to understand at first, but once you get used to him, he's really amazing. The guy was a genius even if the stories themselves are a little on the strange side." Percy said simply.

"Well, what story do you have in mind? Or do you want us to read the entire thing?" I joked.

He smiled ever so slightly and I felt my heart do a somersault. "Not the entire thing, no. Knowing you, however, I don't think that is out of the question. I was thinking of reading 'The Raven' actually." He said.

"I haven't read that one. I've been too busy with non-fiction and architecture books to read enough classic literature." I admitted.

Percy clasped his hands together and leaned forward. "Really? You should definitely give more classics a read – they're amazing for a reason, you know." He said.

I smiled inwardly at the thought of the old Percy enjoying classics. The amount that Percy had changed after just being gone for two years was stupefying. He used to be a jokester that never took anything seriously. School used to be a giant joke to him, so seeing him this serious about it – to the point where he read on his _free time_, was almost impossible to comprehend.

This was definitely going to take some get some getting used too – I really didn't want to risk offending him by assuming that he was still the same boy that he was before he left. Yet, some part of me yearned for the old Percy; the one that had to come to me for help, the one that joked around all the time and made me relax, the one that lit up every time that he saw me. I missed that Percy. Don't get me wrong, I like the new smart, responsible, and serious Percy too, but he just wasn't the same – it was hard to stomach that he had changed his entire personality. I was proud of him though for managing to accomplish a feat like that – I know that it couldn't have been easy to do.

"What?" Percy asked, staring at me intently.

I shook my head to clear my head of thoughts. "Sorry, just zoned out while I was thinking." I said truthfully.

Percy's lips curved upwards slightly. "Thinking about what?" he teased.

I cleared my throat again since it was feeling _unusually_ dry.

_Should I tell him the truth or should I just lie? _I asked myself.

_No. Enough lies. You have to be honest with him from now on – that's what went wrong last time. _I thought to myself resolutely.

I put my index finger on my chin before answering. "Well I was just thinking about how much different you are now than you were before. I have to remind myself that you aren't the same guy that you used to be." I confessed.

Percy raised his eyebrow quizzically and his smirk disappeared. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked me.

"A little bit of both." I said truthfully.

The answer seemed to satisfy him because he shook his head slightly in assent, before staring into his lap, looking at his clasped hands.

"So how have things been since you left? I mean, what was Chicago like? Make any new friends?" I asked him curiously.

Percy didn't look up but he smiled painful. "Yeah. Chicago was amazing, and not a day goes by that I don't miss it. My friends there were the greatest – Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, Frank, Reyna..." he said trailing off. I noticed that his voice inflection changed slightly when he said Reyna's name, and I pretended not to feel hurt.

"Did you have a girlfriend?" I asked him politely, pretending that I didn't know.

Percy's face grew melancholy. "Yeah – the greatest. I miss her so much it hurts." He said mournfully.

"You'll move on. A guy like you could easily get another girlfriend." I said, trying to smooth my inner turbulence.

Percy's head snapped up and he looked livid. "What's that supposed to mean? I love her and there is no way that I'm going to chase after another girl. She was special." He said angrily.

I swallowed. Gosh, it seemed like I had a knack for pissing him off. Despite that, I couldn't help but notice that he said "love" not "loved" which meant he still wasn't over her.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. I am just saying that I think that she wouldn't be happy to see you all depressed." I said defensively.

"Annabeth, do me a favor and never bring this up again." He said quietly and I felt myself grow angry.

"You know, you've become a real jerk! I thought that after you came back, that things would be different, that we could start over and go back to the way that we used to be. But so far, all that you've done is take offense to every harmless little thing that I've said, when all I'm trying to do is to get to know you again and make up for screwing up so badly!" I raged.

Percy's face grew cold and bitter. "Don't get mad at me – be mad at yourself. You have no one but yourself to blame for what happened, so don't you _dare_ try to make me feel guilty. You don't know how hard it is for me to sit here and listen to you talk when all that I see is that girl in 8th grade telling me that she hated me and never wanted to see me again. When I look at you, all I see is the girl who left and betrayed me, the girl who chose an asshole that felt her up and abused me. That's what I see when I look at you, so forgive _me_ for being rude." He said harshly.

I opened my mouth and gaped like a fish. "You're just looking for an excuse to hate me. I thought that after all this time, you'd at least move on. I admit that I screwed up, but I want to make things right again!" I said earnestly.

Percy's face grew dark. "Then tell me why you still date Luke." His voice began deathly quiet.

"What?" I asked him in surprise, completely unprepared for this line of inquiry.

"You heard me – Why do you still date Luke? If you're serious about what you said, how can you go out with the boy that beat me within an inch of my life on more than one occassion?" he whispered.

I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to think of a reason. "Luke needs me – he has problems." I said.

Percy laughed a harsh, grating laugh. "Problems? That's a fucking understatement." He said harshly.

I felt my anger snap. "His mother's in the mental hospital and his father left him on his own." I said angrily.

Percy's eyes narrowed. "And you think that this is a justification to fornicate with an abusive psychopath who tortured your 'Best Friend'?" he asked me cynically, drawing air quotes.

My mouth opened and closed multiple times as I pondered a response. Nothing came to mind. Percy was right – I had no real reason for doing this, Luke was getting more than he deserved.

"I'm not fornicating with him." I muttered weakly.

Percy stood up from his chair and collected his backpack.

"Wait, where are you going?" I asked in confusion.

Percy turned his head slightly so that I could see half his face. "I'm going home. I'm sick of your excuses and I can't stand being here anymore. I hope you enjoy your latte Annabeth." He said curtly before beginning to walk away.

"Wait!" I said, and by instinct, I reached out and grabbed his wrist. He didn't turn around this time as he shook his wrist free of my grasp.

"I needed him Percy. After you left, I didn't have anyone and he was there for me to help fill the hole that you left behind." I confessed.

Percy didn't move or say anything for a split second.

"You disgust me." He said venomously before walking away, out of the coffee shop. I sank back in my arm chair and clasped my hands together in front of my mouth, having an internal battle with my emotions.

* * *

That night when I got home, I immediately went to my room and used my laptop to google, "The Raven", to read it. For some reason, I had a desperate and burning desire to read this poem that Percy seemed so interested in. It didn't take long at all to find a website that had the poem up. After kicking off my shoes and changing into something more comfortable, I set my MacBook on my desk and sank into my chair, bracing myself for whatever I was going to read.

The poem was fantastic. No scratch that - fantastic was an understatement. I'll give you a brief rundown of the poem. Basically the poem is writing in first person and the narrator is also the main character. This unnamed character is reading a bunch of really old tomes when he hears someone knocking on the front door. At first he ignores it, then he tells the visitor to go away, and finally he opens the door. Here's my favorite part, written right after the door opens:

_Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, doubting,_  
_Dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;__  
_

The narrator then closes the door and goes back to his comfy armchair to continue reading. Lenore is the name of the woman that he is in love with, but apparently her whereabouts are unknown - she might be dead, she might be missing, or she might not even exist. All you know for sure is that the narrator desperately wants to find Lenore at any cost.

Then he hears the noise again coming from the window this time. He opens the window and then a raven flies into his room and sits on top of a marble bust of Athena's head. The narrator talks to it, asking it what it's name is. The raven replies "Nevermore". The narrator thinks that the raven can only say the word nevermore, but he's not entirely sure if the bird can understand him or not.

After that, he asks him a bunch of questions concerning his lost love Lenore and all the raven says is "Nevermore!" which makes the poor man steadily angrier. Finally, he gets really angry and just asks the bird to leave and it does, but it leaves him broken, wondering about Lenore and yearning to see his beloved again. It's pretty sad and I'm making it seem a lot worse than it actually is.

Anyhow, once I finished the poem I sat back wondering if Percy had sent some sort of subliminal message through this poem: Was he the narrator or was I? It seemed to be more likely that I would be the main character since I am the one filled with regret, but when he reads it, does he identify himself as that character? If so, then who is his Lenore? Is it me or is Reyna?

Additionally, if I am the narrator and Percy is my Lenore (that sounds weird, but just go with it), then what is the Raven? Is the Raven the chances of our relationship forming back again? Is Percy issuing me a warning - that our relationship will never form back?

I sank back into my pillow and groaned. Percy was speaking in riddles and I had no idea what his real intentions were. Thinking about the the poem though, I think I know who all the characters are: I'm the narrator, Percy is Lenore, and the raven represents what I did to him and that's why it says "Nevermore". It says that because it never wants that happening again to Percy, and it never wants us to be friends again. That is also why it refuses to tell me where Percy is -not this new, cold Percy, but the young boy who had caught me in the rain so long ago. The raven won't tell me where that Percy went and no matter how many times I ask it, all it tells me is, "Nevermore!"

* * *

**A/N: Hello Everyone! Short chapter, I know, but it's a meaningful one and my last one was so long so cut me some slack. The Raven is amazing and all of you should read it - if you google it, you can easily find a transcript online. It feels like the poem has been tailored to this story almost, and I wanted to post the entire thing here to force you all to read it, but then I would have had to translate everything since it's a little confusing. I hope "Annabeth's" rundown made sense and it was pretty rough and sloppy, but forgive me. What do you think each of the character's represent in the poem? Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed it and as always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**


	15. The Fall

**The Fall**

**Percy's POV:**

"I'm just saying, Halo 3 is so much better than Halo 4!" Nico protested.

"But you gotta admit that Halo 4 is the definition of awesome." Grover interjected.

I groaned loudly, interrupting them. "Guys, this is taking forever! Just settle on a game already and let's get this thing started!" I said irately.

Nico and Grover both looked at me disapprovingly. "Percy, Percy, Percy - video game selection is a very delicate process that requires the utmost care and precision. One does not simply 'settle' on a game." Nico droned on.

"One must select a game with the same care that the Vatican chooses its new Pope." Grover concluded.

"Enough with the drama you two, all I'm saying is that we need to hurry up." I grumbled.

They both harrumphed and resumed their conversation. "You're both hopeless." I mumbled under my breath, but I don't think they heard me.

Now that I was back, Friday gaming nights were back in full swing and I was really really looking forward to it. Well, this would be million times better if they just _picked_ a stupid game already!

Sighing deeply, I sank back into Nico's sofa and put my hand on my face as I leaned my head back. Two weeks of school had already passed by in a heart beat and I was enjoying myself. Even though it was hard, I tried my best to forgive kids that didn't really hate me before I moved. Most of them were really cool and they genuinely apologized to me. The Stolls, Beckendorf, Will Solace, and Malcolm Brown were pretty close to me now and we got along great. It was nice having friends here and I felt like my opinion of New York was changing.

As I turned back, Grover and Nico finally decided on a game and popped in Borderlands 2. Once I sat on the sofa again, they handed me the extra controller and we sat eagerly in anticipation as the loading screen flashed on the TV.

"Dude, pizza?" Grover asked pleadingly and Nico smiled.

"Already taken care of, my good man, already taken care of." He said liltingly.

"Did you get pineapple and jalepeno?" I piped in.

"But of course," Nico said with a grin.

"Awesome." I said with a grin and the game finally began.

After an hour or so later, the pizza guy finally arrived and rang the doorbell. The three of us paused the game and ran to the front door just like we used to do in middle school, overwhelming the poor soul the second we opened the door. Grover and I "relieved" the scrawny college guy of the three pizza boxes and walked into Nico's kitchen wearing huge grins as Nico fished around in his pocket for money.

Soon enough the door slammed shut and Nico rushed into the kitchen as well. The three of us quickly opened up the boxes and began shoveling the slices into our mouths.

"Oh my god, still as good as ever." I said, rolling my eyes as I experienced a foodgasm.

Nico and Grover laughed at my expression. "Francisco's is the best pizza place ever - they're never going to get worse." Grover pointed out.

I nodded. "Yeah, it just tastes even better than I've been imagining it would," I said shrugging my shoulders.

A few minutes later, we were back in the living room with controllers once again in our hands. As we played, we snacked on more pizza slices and guzzled down unhealthy quantities of soda, but it felt so normal that I didn't really care. It felt so good to be reunited with my friends again and for the first time since I moved back, I felt at ease.

"So Percy, what's going on with you and Annabeth?" Nico asked jokingly and my eyes instantly narrowed.

"What do you mean 'going on'? Nothing's happening." I said angrily.

"You're still angry, huh?" Grover asked.

By this point, I was frowning and not at all happy with the direction the conversation was taking. "Of course I am. You know what she did to me. I can't just forgive her for something like that." I explained.

"Why not?" Grover asked.

"What do you mean why not? She defended Luke and abandoned me for him. She trusted him more than she trusted me even though I was there for her through everything - when her parents got a divorce, dealing with her step mother, shouldering her dad's expectations, helping her when Luke wouldn't notice her or her feelings. I was there for all of that and she left me the one time that I needed her. Not only that, she defended the creep that made my life a living nightmare for as long as I could remember, and the worst part is that she knew about it, she just didn't want to believe it. Is that good enough for you?" I snapped at them, suddenly feeling incredibly angry.

Grover paused the game and turned to face me and Nico did so as well. Looking at the both of them, I knew that this was planned before hand.

"Did she put you up to this?" I asked them suspiciously.

Nico answered first. "No, we decided on this ourselves. Man, this isn't healthy and you don't even know what she's been through." He said.

"Cut the bullshit - I went through far worse than she did." I snapped angrily.

Then for the first time in my life, I saw Grover Underwood get angry. "Percy Jackson, take a second and get your head out of your ass! You have no right to dismiss her suffering, especially not when you don't know what happened. You have no idea how much Annabeth regrets her actions. Ever since you moved, you're all she's been talking or thinking about. She spent every day wallowing in her own misery and regret, thinking about all the ways she screwed up and about how she would give anything to make things right again. Now that you're back, she finally has that chance but all you've done is acted like a complete asshole to her. She's trying to fix things but you keep shutting her out because you're so freaking scared!" He raged, and I felt my blood starting to boil.

"Scared of what exactly, Grover? Enlighten me." I whispered quietly, my voice seething with anger.

"You're too scared that she'll do it all over again if you let her back in." Grover finished firmly.

I stood up and instantly the two of them shrank down under the intensity of my gaze. "Don't you dare accuse me of acting hostile towards her when she deserves it. To hell with it, I'm glad that she suffered without me - then maybe she might have caught a glimpse of my life everyday in middle school as I watched her slowly stab me in the back. You have no right to defend her when you can't even begin to comprehend the magnitude of my suffering. You know what? I am scared because I _know_ that she'll do it over again. She's a conniving, self-centered, evil girl that's only made my life difficult and unnecessarily painful." I screamed at them.

Now Nico stood up, eyes blazing. "You're not even attempting to let her in, Percy! Give her a chance! Both Grover and I see that she deserves it. Stop being like this - this isn't you." He said, shaking his head.

My laughter echoed maniacally in the room. "You're right - this isn't me, this is what she made me into and she has no one to blame but herself." I said bitterly.

"You're lying to yourself if you think that. You are like this because it's easy for you to be wrapped up in hate, not because she turned you into this. You're some sort of sadistic freak that wants to watch her suffer." Grover interjected.

The room fell silent and I closed my eyes, trying to quell the tears that were forming behind my closed eyelids.

"Percy I'm sorry, I didn't mean it..." Grover began, but I held up a shaky hand.

"This was a mistake - I shouldn't have come back from Chicago at all. Nothing here has changed - everyone is still as malicious and fake as they always have been, but I never dreamed for a second that you would join them. I thought you were my friends, but apparently even you two seem to have a fetish for seeing me suffer." I whispered quietly.

"Dude, that's not true and you know it." Nico said exasperatedly.

"Enough. I'm ashamed to think that I ever considered you both to be my friends. I'm leaving and I hope I never see you again." I said seriously.

"You're overreacting - you know his comment was harmless and you're blowing this out of proportion." Nico said again.

"Calling me a sadist and an asshole isn't what I call harmless," was all I said before I turned and left without another word.

Before I closed the door and as my world collapsed down around me, Grover said something that I'll never forget. "That's not Percy Jackson."

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for taking so long to update and for the fact that this chapter is kind of short. However, it's really emotionally charged so I think that it's fine. Tell me what you think about the conversation - I feel like both sides are right to a certain extent. Percy is really wrapped up in hate and he's not willing to let go of his grudge, but I feel like his actions, while harsh are still justified. At this point, he's a really frustrating character that just won't listen to the voice of reason but that'll change soon. Anyhow, thanks for reading and as always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**


	16. Possibilities

**Possibilities**

**Annabeth's POV:**

As I frantically scurried around my house, I picked up my brother's toys, cleaned the coffee table, and puffed the sofa cushions. Percy was coming over to talk about the project so I wanted everything to look good for him. Maybe I was going a little overboard, but I was determined to make everything as perfect as I possibly could - nothing could be left to chance.

Today was going to mark the start of my master plan to get Percy to forgive me. If this night went as well as I had planned it, I would have begun to make some progress and hopefully, by the end of the year he would no longer hate my guts. Maybe, _just maybe_, we might even be friends, but I didn't want to get ahead of myself - I still had to survive tonight before friendship could even be considered.

He was supposed to come over at around seven-ish and it was around five right now. I had been cleaning the house for the last thirty minutes or so. It was a Friday night so my parents were out on a date night and Bobby and Matthew were at their friend's place for a sleepover. Basically, I had the entire house to myself which was nice because if things took a downturn, I didn't want my family to witness it.

More than anything, I was hoping that we wouldn't end on a bitter note. A neutral note would be nice, but a bright one couldn't _hurt_ either. Note the sarcasm - a nice note would be flipping awesome, but, again, I'm not going to get my hopes up.

For the next hour and forty minutes, I throughly scrubbed the house till it sparkled and shined. Feeling pretty satisfied with how the house looked, I plopped onto the sofa and reached for the snack platter. That's right - you better believe that I went there. In my hands was a platter filled with various crackers, cheeses, and vegetables including dips. I snacked on a carrot stick as I turned on the TV.

Soon it began to rain, the drops sounding like machine gun fire outside. Even though I was inside the house, I shivered as the cold crept in. I diverted my attention back to the television to watch some more National Geographic.

After the forty minute special on the Amazon Rainforest was over, I tapped my foot in irritation and constantly checked the clock on the wall. I blew a stray strand of hair out of my face in annoyance and let out an audible groan.

_Percy was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago! Where in Hades is he? _I thought to myself angrily.

While I definitely deserved to be treated as badly as he had been treating me, being late was definitely not excusable. That was external to our problems and he had no right to squander my time. For Zeus's sake, it was a Friday night and I was locked in my empty house watching National Geographic instead of being out with my friends.

_I'll give him ten more minutes before I leave. _I thought irritably as I folded my arms across my chest, exhaling loudly so that my cheeks flared.

Percy didn't show up ten minutes later and I was fuming. With loud grumbles as I cursed his name, I stood up off the sofa and changed into a sweatshirt as I grabbed my wallet, my phone, and my car keys. After hastily writing a note to my parents telling them that I would be out for the night, I finally slipped on some sneakers and opened the door to leave.

What I saw was not at all what I was expecting.

Percy was standing in the rain, thoroughly drenched, looking at my house with a sad nostalgic look on his face. His raven black hair was matted down on his head and his green eyes glistened wistfully as he was undoubtedly reliving all the memories we had shared here. His backpack was slung carelessly across his left shoulder and his sea green sweatshirt was sopping wet. In his right hand, he held a bouquet of white carnations that looked slightly wilted under the weight of the rain.

Once I recovered from my initial shock, I called out to him. "Percy? What're you doing out there?" I asked him concernedly.

Percy snapped out of his trance and looked at me, his feral green eyes flashing luminescently in the dark of the rain. His fingers fidgeted nervously with his backpack strap and his knuckles turned white as they grasped the bouquet in his hand.

My lips curved upwards in a grin when he answered. "Haven't the foggiest," he said before stepping towards the house.

Smiling more widely now, I stepped aside and held the door open for him as he walked inside. As he brushed past me, my skin felt like it was being electrified and as I caught a whiff of Percy's intoxicating scent, my toes curled slightly. I watched Percy as he delicately slipped off his wet shoes and as his socks followed suit as though his very being depended on it.

"Going somewhere?" He asked as he laid his socks lengthwise to allow them to dry. I squirmed uncomfortably and twirled a strand of my hair absent mindedly, suddenly feeling very nervous.

"I thought you weren't going to show up." I answered truthfully, staring at him intently.

He paused his actions, still kneeling down, without answering and when he did, he was still facing his shoes. "I've been outside your house since 6:50," he answered calmly.

My eyes widened in shock. "You've been standing out in the rain for forty minutes? What ever for?" I asked him incredulously.

I was surprised when his hand rubbed the back of his neck. When we were younger, that was his tell for when he got nervous or embarrassed.

"I was too scared to knock," he answered softly and I felt my gut twist in a strangely unpleasant, yet addictive manner.

"Why were you scared?" I replied, equally as softly, but he just shrugged his shoulders in response before standing up.

He straightened himself and dusted his jeans. Then he bent down and grabbed the carnations and handed them to me with a perfectly straight face. It struck me as odd that he was embarrassed about waiting in the rain, but not about buying me flowers.

I accepted them gratefully and inhaled deeply, relishing the sweet scent that the flowers brought. They were bone white, yet they looked beautiful in an ethereal manner.

"I got you these," he whispered huskily, and I felt a shiver run through my body. It was like he was trying to be seductive without trying to. I looked up at him, my face still mostly obscured by the flowers as I drank in the sight of him.

Even though he was soaked, he still looked every bit as attractive as he had on the day that I saw him again. His feral green eyes glistened while looking cold at the same time and his black hair hooded his eyes sultrily which only made them look even more irresistible. Small drops of water clung to the tips of his hair and slid down his cheeks like glistening crystals.

It took me a second to realize that my heart was racing, and I was only _looking_ at him. Subconsciously, I began to blush as some very inappropriate thoughts flashed through my head; namely what it would feel like to run my fingers through his hair, but that was the most innocent thought by far.

"Thank you." I whispered so quietly, I was partially hoping he wouldn't have heard.

No such luck.

Percy acknowledged that he had heard by nodding curtly before turning away and taking inventory of the house. I gave myself a second to calm my breathing and to regain my composure before I joined his side. That nostalgic look returned to his eyes and I noticed that they lost their feral appearance as he did so. His eyes roamed every aspect inside the house, drinking everything in.

"It hasn't aged a day," he said to himself, but I found myself nodding in agreement.

"Yup, we haven't done too much to it." I said before walking into the living room. Percy followed me from a short distance behind, but he stood in place as I sank into the sofa. My eyes glanced sidelong at him, and I raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Don't want to get your furniture wet," he pointed out.

"Oh crap! I forgot that your clothes are drenched. I'll go get you some of dad's stuff so that you don't catch pneumonia or hypothermia." I said as I stood up. Percy nodded in response and I left to get him some clothes.

I returned about a minute later with a plain white shirt and a pair of plaid pajama bottoms. Percy gave a very small smile before turning to leave for the bathroom.

"First door on your right!" I called out, in case he didn't remember.

"I didn't forget," was his response and I felt my heart soar at that thought. I was glad that he hadn't completely forgotten everything about me. I guess old habits die hard.

As I waited for him to return, I studied the carnations, wondering what could have prompted him to buy them. They really were beautiful and I definitely appreciated the gesture, but I didn't know what the gesture _was_. Was he trying to say sorry? Was this a sign that he wanted to be friends again? Did this mean that I was slightly forgiven?

Before my thoughts completely ran out of control, he walked back in and I looked at him, diverting my attention from the flowers.

"Just out of curiosity, why did you buy the flowers?" I asked him inquisitively.

"It's September 18th," he said.

"So?" I asked him in confusion, having no idea what that meant.

"Today is our anniversary," he said simply and it took me a second to remember what he was talking about.

Every year, we would exchange gifts with one another to commemorate the day that we had met. We called it our anniversary as kids and I suppose the habit just carried on. I was very surprised that he still remembered and even more than that, I was embarrassed that I had forgotten. He had still managed to remember even though he had been away for three years. Naturally, I had forgotten to get him a gift - typical me, always the bad friend in the relationship.

"Oh..." I said awkwardly, feeling like I had been caught with my pants down.

"I didn't think you would remember." Percy said before taking a seat. I racked my brain for some sort of witty response that would hopefully make up for the fact that I had screwed up - _again_.

Percy changed the topic, but I wasn't entirely sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. I mean, he had left it on a pretty condescending note, but I was happy that the awkward moment had passed.

"We should get started." he said, clasping his hands and resting them on his lap.

I quickly cleared my thoughts before answering. "I read the poem." I said.

"Did you now?" He asked, a slight tinge of amusement behind his words.

Experiencing mixed feelings, I gave myself a moment before I answered. "Well I thought it was very good. You were right about Poe being a genius even if he is a little confusing." I elaborated.

"Anything stick out in particular?" He asked with the same undertone.

Feeling increasingly annoyed, I attempted to quell my feelings to the best of my ability in order for my plan to come into fruition. "Yes actually, I couldn't help but notice that there were a lot of metaphors and examples of symbolism worked in to it very masterfully. However, with the generality of the entire work, it left many of those symbols open to interpretation." I said, ending my analysis with verve.

I was intelligent and I was _not_ going to sit and be condescended to by the likes of Percy Jackson, the kid I had tutored for the greater part of his life. If he thought he was going to make me feel inferior, then he had another thing coming. He might be smarter now, but that doesn't change the fact that I am still smarter than him.

Percy inspected his fingernail very closely with a ghost of a smirk on his face which only agitated me further.

"Is there anything you identified with symbolically?" He asked teasingly.

At this point, I had had enough of his cheekiness so I took a bold move which pretty much screwed the entirety of my plan. "Yeah, I thought that you were the narrator and Lenore was Chicago - you'll mourn for her, but she's never coming back." I snapped.

The instant my words left my mouth, I regretted it as Percy's feral eyes turned razor like, almost like they could cut me if I even looked at them.

"Is that so?" He whispered but his voice carried an immense threat of danger.

I bit my lower lip as I attempted to formulate a response.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't walk out the door right now." Percy asked flatly, but the menace in his voice was still there.

This time I looked straight into his eyes and answered. "I don't have one, but I know you can't run forever." I answered.

"Run from _what_ exactly?" He scoffed.

My mouth began speaking the very words my mind insisted that it shouldn't. "From us." I whispered.

Percy's eyes began to scrutinize my face as though I was hiding lies and it hurt slightly, but I didn't back away. For once, I was on the receiving end of a dissecting gaze and I can safely say that it wasn't enjoyable in the slightest. His sea green orbs zoomed at million miles an hour, probably thinking a billion different things.

"I didn't run away from us, _you did,_" was his response, and once again, I was at a loss for words. He was right, _again_, which was becoming an issue of increasing frequency.

"What if I'm trying to run back to you, but you won't let me catch up?" I asked.

"Do I have any reason to let you do so?" He responded and I was back at the drawing board yet again.

"So does this mean that we'll never be friends again?" I asked him, dreading his response.

"That depends..." He said, trailing off, no longer looking at me but instead at the blank TV screen.

"On what?" I breathed.

He cast a wary sidelong glance at me before responding. "On whether or not I think you deserve to be forgiven." He answered and I contemplated a response.

"Is there anyway that I can influence that decision?" I pressed.

"No. This is something that I have to do on my own." He answered and my heart fell slightly. However, I knew that it would be impossible for him to forget any new attempts to fix our broken friendship, so it was still worth a try on my end.

"Think of it this way: it's like trying to put a broken mirror back together - it's nearly impossible and you're likely to end up cutting yourself in the process." Percy continued.

I nodded, surrendering, because I was on the losing end of the argument. "Let me know if there's anything I can do." I said weakly and he gave no response.

"I suppose we better get started on our analysis. I say we each write separate papers and then compare them to create a final product." He said, reaching for his still wet back pack, and I nodded in agreement.

We both sprawled on top of the carpet and began to write. Within minutes, I was already starting to write feverishly, letting my words spill across the paper. I found solace in writing and it helped me cool off all the heated emotions I had been feeling earlier. Once or twice, I would break my concentration to check on Percy but he simply had his back to me and seemed to be staring out a window at the willow tree in my back yard. I wondered if he had anything written.

Abruptly, he spoke and interrupted me. "Am I a bad person?" He asked quietly and I answered almost instantly.

"Absolutely not - _I_ am a bad person, but _you_... you have so much good in you, it makes me jealous. You're kind, you're giving, and you're sympathetic among other things." I said honestly.

"Then why can't I... never mind." He said, shaking his head.

"No, what?" I pressed, wondering what he was going to say.

"It's nothing," he said flatly and I knew that I wasn't going to get anywhere by badgering him.

I was still curious as to what prompted him to ask me that question. I don't know if I gave him the answer he was looking for, but he didn't seem to catch on to my act of self deprecation. A part of me was hoping that he would have said, _Gee Annabeth, you're not a bad person. You're great too! _However that was wishful thinking, so I didn't let myself get too disappointed.

Shaking my head, I diverted my focus back to my rough draft and continued writing. This continued for a few minutes before I felt the silence become suffocating and tense.

I walked to my room and retrieved my iPod. As I plugged it into the music system, I saw Percy looking at me quizzically.

"I wanted some music. Is that fine?" I asked him, and I saw him shrug nonchalantly out of the corner of my eyes.

My fingers scrolled through my music library, before I decided on a song. I chose "Down" by Jason Walker, partially because I really identified with it right now and I hoped that Percy would see how I was feeling when he heard it and partially because it was just a good song.

The piano and guitar began softly and regretfully as I closed my eyes and escaped into the music. As I continued to write, my head bobbed to the beat of the music, sending my golden curls into a frenzy. Eventually, I felt bold enough to hum along with the song. Throughout the entire thing, Percy sat as stoically as ever but he did look even deeper in thought, but if that was the song's doing remained to be seen.

My music library played various songs of differing degrees of relevance - some were just there because I liked them, but some of them had deeper meanings that I could relate to. I hoped Percy could too, and I wondered what was going on in his head when he was listening to these songs. Was he actually listening, or had he tuned it out?

Just when I was about to finish my essay, a song came on that made my freeze almost instantly and made my breath hitch. The beginning to the song "You Don't Know Me" by Michael Buble began to play through my speaker system. I was afraid to look at Percy, but I couldn't help it. This song had special meaning to us, and I certainly didn't forget it, even if I had forgotten other things. I wondered if he remembered this song or the significance that it had to us.

When I looked up, Percy was lying on his back, spread eagled and staring up at the ceiling intently. His sea green eyes swam with emotions too numerous to count. Scenes from my childhood with him, particularly those associated with this song, began to resurface.

_I saw a little 7-year old me taking Percy's hand and dragging him off the ground where he was lying down, staring at the ceiling. It was strange, but I felt a pang of jealousy, looking at my second grade self steal Percy off the ground, and I wanted to scream at her for all the horrible mistakes she was going to make. He looked at my sudden enthusiasm with amusement which made his bright eyes twinkle merrily. _

_"Percy, come dance with me!" I said brightly and he followed me to the center of his living room._

_I released his hand and ran over to the speaker system. I popped in a CD and ran back to him, standing in front of him._

You give your... hand to me. _I extended my hand to him and he took it so gently and lovingly, I felt my mind melt._

And then you say hello. And I can hardly speak, my heart is beating so. _I waved at him with a toothy grin, and he smiled back, not saying a word._

And anyone can tell... You think you know me well. _I wrapped my arms around his waist and he did so as well and the pair of us swayed in time with the music. Suddenly, he tripped over and fell down, dragging me on top of him._

Well, you don't know me, yeah... _"Seaweed Brain!" I laughed and his face turned to a tomato like complexion._

_"Annabeth, get off of me! I can't breathe!" He said and I stood up holding out my hand to help him up, still laughing. He took my hand in the same way, sending sparks shooting through my body, and I pulled him up, eagerly awaiting the warmth of his arms..._

Suddenly, I had an idea - an idea so crazy and stupid that it was guaranteed to fail. But I am Annabeth Chase, so I did it anyways.

Without thinking, I followed in the footsteps of my 7-year old self and walked over to Percy's lying form. I stuck my hand out to and looked at him with hope and eagerness.

"Percy, come dance with me." I breathed, exhaling the breath that I didn't know I was holding in.

Percy looked up at me and a dozen different emotions flickered across his face, but I didn't overanalyze because he gingerly took my hand in his own and I felt that same infectious spark travel through my system and I hoped that he felt it too. My heart overflowed with joy as I pulled him up in excitement. As he stood, I couldn't help but notice the ghost of a grin on his face before it quickly disappeared.

He looked at me intently, his sea green eyes boring into my silvery gray ones, as I guided his hand to my waist as my own went to his broad shoulders. The second our respective hands found their targets, I felt something click - like a lock and key. It was as though our hands had been made to rest in those locations on each others bodies. When I was with Luke, it had never felt this comfortable or natural or this _right_. I knew by the way that Percy shivered imperceptibly that he had to have felt something as well.

We danced slowly, swaying to beat of the music, but all the while our eyes never left each others. Slowly but surely, the feral quality to his eyes began to melt away to be replaced by the irresistible oceanic pull that I was so accustomed to. Instead of pushing me out, his eyes invited me in to lose myself in their depths and I felt myself rush forward to drown in them. I was lost at sea - no, I was lost in _our_ sea.

All too soon, the song ended and the magic of the moment came to a close. In that moment, I had an overwhelming urge to kiss him, but Percy quickly let go of me and began to pack his things. I ignored the feelings of hurt in my stomach as he frantically shoved his notebook and pencils into his backpack in a haphazard manner.

"Where are you going?" I asked him, my hurt evident in my words.

"I've gotta get out of here." He said frantically, and it surprised me to see him like this since he had always been so collected after he had returned from Chicago.

"Did I do something wrong?" I whispered, begging for a response.

He didn't merit that question as worthy of a response and instead continued to zip up his backpack. He slung it over his shoulder, put his old clothes in a plastic bag, and made his way to the door.

"It's still raining." I pointed out but he didn't answer again.

As he opened the door, still shifting his feet urgently to fit into his sneakers, I couldn't help it. "Please stay." I begged, my voice no louder than a whisper. I sounded so vulnerable it scared me, but I didn't care.

"Don't leave me alone again. _Please_." I begged and he froze in between the door frame.

His hand ran along the length of his backpack strap and he opened and closed his mouth multiple times to respond but he said nothing.

Finally, he answered without turning to look at me. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice quivering slightly, before he stepped out into the rain and walked away. As I watched him go, my throat felt dry and constricted unbearably about an infinitesimal point. I closed the door behind me and slumped up against it, my fingers ringing my hair, as the sounds of the rain masked my quiet sobs.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! Yes, I am updating again because I will be very busy in the coming weeks with finals and activities so I probably won't update for another two weeks. Hopefully this chapter should keep you all sated till then - I'm pretty proud of it. There's a lot going on here so I'll let you think about for yourself instead of imposing my opinion on you all since I find that far more interesting. Anyhow, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it, and as always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**

**Side note: I am aware I am behind in my responses to reviews, but that's just because you all are too generous and I have hit a point where it is almost physically impossible for me to respond to all of them. The entire process for every chapter would probably take me two hours, which I honestly don't have the time for. I swear I will do my best, and please don't think I'm ignoring you. Thanks for your consideration, you're all awesome!**


	17. Crucible

**Crucible**

**Percy's POV:**

That night after I had gone to Annabeth's house for the project, I sank into my bed for the balance of the day and stared at the ceiling deep in thought. To say that I was confused would have been an understatement - I was torn. My mind was literally tearing itself apart about the events that had occurred, particularly our dance. I felt guilty, angry, and happy all at the same time.

On one end, my logical side told me that I should feel hatred towards Annabeth and that dancing with her was utterly unacceptable. I was angry at her for asking me to dance and more so at myself for accepting. Then there was this really stupid part of my brain that whispered doubts, telling me that I liked it when we had danced, when my hands lightly rested on her hips, and when her hands wrapped themselves on my shoulders. The little spark that traveled between us terrified me and made me happy at the same time.

The monolithic, dark side of me had returned with a vengeance and I felt a cold, dark fury course through my body at the thought of how I had slipped up. There was no way I should have let her do that and I was so livid that my resolve had weakened to the point that I had actually considered forgiving her back there for a second.

I took a deep breath and attempted to reason this all out logically for my own sanity. After taking a second to reign in my emotions, I stared intently at the sea green ceiling in my room as I pondered.

_Okay, you're back in New York and you're hurting because you left behind a great group of friends and a girlfriend that you loved dearly. Instead of them, you're now left with people that made your childhood a living hell. Your ex-best friend/the girl you once loved betrayed you and left you for a boy that tortured you everyday of your life. Now that you're back, she's trying to make amends but you refuse to do so because you don't trust her and you think that she doesn't deserve a second chance. To make matters worse, your two other best friends have decided to side with her and are angry at you for making decisions that are difficult for even yourself. _

_Now you have to do a project with said girl and she's trying to gain your trust but you're continuing to treat her with hostile suspicion. Today at her house, you lashed out at her for making a snide comment that you ultimately provoked and later you danced with her when she asked you to. You were inches away from forgiving her and kissing her even though she had a boyfriend. _

That about concluded my situation. I sighed deeply and placed a hand on my forehead as I thought about possible courses of action, but first I attempted to sort through my emotions.

Things with Annabeth were so confusing and brought me a great deal of head and heart ache. Despite my disgust with her, I found her presence addictive in the same way drugs were. She was an unhealthy influence that hooked me and made it difficult to resist her. Try as I might, I knew that once I had fallen into her trap, there would be no escape. I was like a chronic smoker that had quit cold turkey and was now being offered a Cuban cigar at his most crucial moment. Everything depended on my resolve - I would either move on for good or I would slip into a terrible relapse that would more than likely leave me hurt and heartbroken.

However, despite the addiction that being with Annabeth, I felt better when she was gone. I mean, sure, I enjoyed having her around, but I felt so much happier and innocent when she was out of my mind. One of the greatest things about Chicago and Reyna was that Annabeth didn't enter my thoughts and while I was there I was genuinely happy. Here in New York, I felt happy around her, but it wasn't that pure happiness that I felt with Reyna. Instead it was some sort of perverted happiness that could be likened to the rush a drug addict gets when he shoots himself full of substance. Not only was this happiness undesirable, it was just flat out _wrong_.

Despite all of this though, my mind just couldn't let go of her. That frustrated me more than anything - all the facts where laid out, the pros and cons considered, and the evidence gathered. Every metric of logic or reason conclusively and quantitatively verified that being with Annabeth was a _bad idea, _but there was this stupid part of me that wanted to say, "Screw the logic, screw the data, screw reason! Just go and be with her!" But my monolithic dark side crushed this resistance like an ant gets crushed by a boot, however no matter how many times it did, that stupid part of me would inevitably return, regroup, and stage another insurrection only to get squashed back down again.

This process repeated endlessly, but with every repetition of the cycle, I could feel the illogical side of me gain strength as my darker side began to wane. It was similar to the ocean, where waves crashed against rocks relentlessly, eventually turning all forms of resistance to sand. I knew that there would come a point when the foolish part of me would finally usurp this darkness and I would crawl back to Annabeth without a shred of dignity remaining. Even without my dark side to coerce me, I was adamant that that would never happen. It wasn't a question of differing thoughts or resolve anymore - it was a question of my disposition and the very fabric that constituted my personality.

Throughout this process, I could feel my identity become even more polarized and separate. I felt like there were two different people living in my body and the thing was - _I didn't like either of them_. Truth be told, there was another person in there, hiding in fright as these two colossi combated one another. That third person was the the real me and he was powerless to prevent these other two sides of myself from tearing each other to shreds. While I watched myself crumble, I realized that I couldn't even recognize myself or the face that I saw in the mirror.

I was slipping. It couldn't be denied any longer. My personality was literally being torn to shreds and all that remained was emptiness. In the words of Stanislaw Lem: "I felt myself being invaded through and through, I crumbled, disintegrated, and only emptiness remained." I was becoming a husk of a former being, unable to love or feel joy. Instead I was doomed to feel misery and agony for the remainder of my existence. More than anything though, like I told Annabeth, I feel scared. I am terrified that if I let her back in, that she would hurt me all over again. I am scared because I can feel myself becoming desensitized to my own emotions. I am scared that one day I'll wake up and I won't feel anything anymore, that I would just become a living zombie devoid of emotion.

Inadvertently, I shivered at the thought. Now more than ever, I wished Reyna could be here. She would know what to do or at the very least, she would make me feel better. I found myself missing her terribly and drowsiness caught up with me. Before my eyes closed shut, I formed one final cogent thought.

_I wish that I could hold her again. We wouldn't need to say anything - only stay wrapped in each other's arms. That'd be enough. That'd be enough for me. _

* * *

_"Hold his arms Banksy!" Luke called out malevolently, wearing a devilish grin._

_It was 7th grade and during recess, Luke and his cronies had decided to ambush me as I was on the monkey bars. Ethan had decked me off of them so that I fell on my back, winded, and before I could process what was happening, Adam had sat on me, holding me down._

_"Luke! Let me go! Please!" I cried out, straining underneath Adam's weight. Luke responded with malicious laughter before connecting his fist with my nose. A sudden flood of warm, sticky liquid told me that he had broken my nose. _

_It trickled down my face, eventually reaching my lips. I spluttered, trying to avoid swallowing my own blood, but Luke's satanic personality was perverted beyond imagining. _

_"Make him open his mouth." Luke commanded sternly and I felt Ethan's hands latch viciously onto either side of my face, trying to pry my jaw open. He swore loudly when he was unsuccessful. I allowed myself a defiant smirk that instantly vanished when Luke's foot came into contact with my soft stomach. _

_With a loud gasp, my mouth flew open and I felt Ethan's hands wrench my mouth open so that my own blood spilled into my mouth. The metallic taste made me nauseous, but the idea that Luke was making me drink my own blood was sickening. Tears of humiliation flooded my eyes but they didn't fall; I wasn't going to give Luke the satisfaction. _

_"Aww, is little Pewcy gonna cwy?" Luke sneered and his friends guffawed. _

_My throat began to gag as blood continued to trickle into my open mouth. For a second, I became deathly afraid of suffocating in my own blood and dying. Obviously, I didn't have the capability to respond at the moment so I said nothing. Instead, I weakly looked around, hoping someone would come and help me._

_Why wasn't anyone there? It was recess for Pete's sake, so why wasn't there another living soul in sight? _

_"No one's gonna help you, you freak." Luke crooned as Banksy and Ethan smiled evilly._

_I glared up at him, not saying a word, as my film of tears continued to obscure my vision. _

_"You're worthless. Even your daddy didn't want you, so he left you and your stupid mother." Luke sneered and red spots began dancing in my vision. The blood loss was starting to get to me and the fact that I couldn't breathe without inhaling my own blood made things even more difficult. _

_"Don't talk about my mother that way. My dad loved her and he died - he didn't leave." I croaked feebly, horribly aware of how weak I was._

_"Whatever makes you sleep at night." Luke said, before he crouched besides me._

_With an almost gentle touch, he brushed aside my raven black hair and smiled at me. My eyes filled with worry of what he was about to do. Without warning, a swiss army knife emerged from his pocket and flicked open. I watched in horror as the knife traced the outline of my eyes. As I watched him, his eyes were filled with an indescribably cold fury and filled with genuinely murderous intent. He was actually going to kill me._

_"Umm Luke, we don't want to kill him, man..." Ethan interjected nervously, when Luke snapped at him._

_"If you don't have the stomach to do what needs to be done, then leave!" He lashed out._

_"We can't actually cut him. That's just wrong." Adam said, and I didn't mention that everything they did to me was 'just wrong'. _

_"Get out of my sight you two. I'll deal with him myself." Luke sneered. _

_For a second, Adam and Ethan looked at each other nervously and then at me as if they wanted to help before running off, leaving me at Luke's mercy. In an instant, Luke sat on me, letting his full weight crush me. He was sitting on my chest so that one of his knees squashed my left arm into the pavement, but the other was left exposed. _

_With surgical precision, he rolled up the sleeve of my right arm and held it out. The swiss army began its descent to my arm and I froze, petrified with fear. _

_Before he cut into my arm, I spoke. "Why?" I whispered, bracing myself for the pain._

_"Why what?" He asked emotionlessly, stopping a centimeter from arm. _

_"Why do you hate me? Why do you hurt me? What have I ever done to you?" I asked in horror._

_For a second, he remained silent. "Because you deserve it," he responded and then the knife cut into my palm._

_My anguished, blood curdling screams tore into the sky as he carved with the knife mercilessly. Not once did his hand waver with any sentiment of humanity or mercy. The pain was searing and my screams intensified in volume before I finally passed out. _

_I woke up in a pool of my own blood. The playground was empty and I figured that by the height of the sun that school was almost over. No one had come to help me or look for me. In that moment I knew just how much I was hated and I wished that I could just die. Not one fucking person in the school had cared enough to come help. At least someone had to have heard my ear splitting screams, but no one had bothered to save me. _

_Gingerly, I raised my right hand and inspected my palm. What I saw almost made me vomit in repulsion. Luke had scooped out a chunk of flesh from the area right below my thumb - that flesh pad like part. The blood seeped out and the sight of flies swarming the area made me incredibly nauseous. I saw then that that wasn't all that he had left. A little farther up my arm he had cut in the word "Loser". _

_The sight made me cry furiously. Tears spilled out of my eyes in rivers. How could anyone harbor that much hate towards anyone? What did I do to deserve this? Was it my fault that I existed? Why hadn't Luke just killed me? He could have done all of us a favor, but I knew he needed me alive to torture me some more. _

_"Percy? Is that you?" I heard a voice call out, and I raised my head. _

_When I saw Annabeth walking over in concern, I hastily wiped my eyes and rolled down my sleeves to mask my arm and to cover my right hand to the best of my ability. My nose was probably permanently screwed so I couldn't do too much about that. _

_"Oh my gods. Percy. Who did this to you?" She shrieked in rage when she saw my appearance. _

_My eyes must have looked dead when I looked up at her when I answered her because she shivered. "It's alright Annabeth, I deserved it." I said with a cheery voice. My lips curved upwards in a genuine smile and I closed my eyes pleasantly. _

_"What the hell is wrong?" She asked. _

_"My existence," I said, still in that sickly sweet voice. _

_Annabeth looked even more concerned now than she did before. "Come on, I'm taking you home or to the hospital. Yeah, hospital sounds good." Annabeth said as she tugged on my right arm. _

_I didn't even have the strength to wince, but my feet remained firmly planted on the pavement. "No. Just leave me here. I want to die." I said firmly._

_"You're not dying on me, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said angrily as she locked eyes with me. _

_That's when I snapped. "No one would fucking miss me! Every single goddamn person in the universe hates me! So why don't I do you all a favor and just die?" I screamed and Annabeth flinched._

_"I would miss you. Your mother would miss you. Grover and Nico would miss you." Annabeth said shakily._

_I snorted. "You would all move on in a matter of weeks." I said through gritted teeth. _

_"Don't even say that." Annabeth said, and her tone of voice made my blood turn cold. _

_"Don't you dare ever say that." She said again, still speaking scarily. _

_Feeling uncomfortable now, I looked down at the ground and held my right arm gingerly. _

_"Please tell me who did this to you!" She pled._

_Finally, I relented and told her the truth. "Luke." I said simply._

_Annabeth's face transformed from one of concern to shock to anger. "How dare you?!" She raged and I was taken aback._

_"What?" I whispered in confusion._

_"How dare you blame this on Luke?! He's the sweetest guy I know!" She continued angrily._

_"Annabeth, what're you saying?" I asked softly, feeling a severe migraine coming on. _

_"I can't believe that you would blame this on Luke!" She said irately._

_"Annabeth Chase! You're screaming at your best friend who's losing blood and consciousness to defend the creep that hurt him!" I screamed and she flinched now. She gave me a smoldering look of disapproval before stepping back from me._

_"You're a liar." She whispered before she turned around and ran, leaving me alone. _

_I stumbled on my knees, feeling the effects of blood loss more prominently now. As I struggled to wrap my head around Annabeth's sudden change in behavior - one second helping me and the next abandoning me - I also fought to stay conscious. _

_Before I completely blacked out, I saw a pair of stormy yet indecisive gray eyes and a fountain of honey blond hair coming towards me. _

_When I woke up two days later in ICU, I saw Annabeth collapsed next to my hospital bed, asleep. Absent mindedly, my fingers instantly went to her silky tresses and gently combed through them. She must have come back and taken me to the hospital. When memories of all that happened before I passed out returned, my fingers instantly froze. _

_Annabeth had almost left me for dead - literally. A thousand emotions churned in my mind simultaneously and I felt disgust course through my body when I looked at her. It was an alien feeling - Annabeth and disgust were two things I would never associate with each other, but now I felt it. It was there that I realized that Annabeth was slipping away from me, and that things were never going to be the same ever again._

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! I updated a little earlier than I said I would, so hurray! The first part of this chapter is really really introspective and I usually refrain from just stating emotions flat out, preferring to have the events convey them, but at this point, things are so complex that I wanted to cement things in. The second part is that dream/flashback and the interaction with Annabeth is uber sloppy, but I couldn't think of a better way to do it, so forgive me. My intention with this chapter as a whole was to win some sympathy back on the Percy side. A lot of you seem to be angry with him for not forgiving her quicker, and I think that's a symptom of not realizing that Annabeth's behavior wasn't an isolated event, rather a chronic one. As always, I hope you enjoyed it and if you did: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**_  
_


	18. Rebirth

**Rebirth**

**Annabeth's POV:**

"And that's how you calculate the Lagrange Error." Mrs. Adams droned on, flapping her arms around like some demented human goose.

My pencil flipped in circles around my index finger and thumb mechanically and with routine ease. I huffed and blew a stray strand of hair out of my face since I was too lazy to actually tuck it behind my ear.

_What's the point of covering material that I already know? _I thought in frustration.

With a sigh, I leaned my head against my hand and stared out the window, watching as a squirrel scampered up a tree in the school courtyard.

Today was the day that I was going to break up with Luke. I knew it was long over due, but I had to work up my courage to actually force myself to do it. I pressed my hand against my forehead in exasperation.

_This is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. _I thought to myself grimly.

Some part of me was hesitant, not because I still felt something for Luke, but because I wondered if I deserved any better. I was such an awful person to Percy before, did I really have any right to demand something better for myself? Maybe this was karmic revenge for me acting like a pretentious little bitch to Percy when I was younger.

The words from Perks of Being a Wallflower echoed in my brain. _We accept the love that we think we deserve. _

What if _this_ was the love that I deserved? Some part of me wished that I could disagree with that statement, but I felt that it was undeniable. This _was_ what I deserved for all of my mistakes. I didn't deserve to love someone as pure or honest or caring as Percy.

My teeth gnashed against each other in frustration. The worst part of this all was that I was so close! If I had only treated him properly when we were younger when he actually did have feelings for me, then none of this would have happened. I would be one of those fairy tale princesses that had her Prince Charming and rode off into the sunset to her happily ever after.

Instead, I spent all of my time chasing a guy that mostly toyed with my feelings and hurt the person that cared about me the most. I knew I broke something permanently between Percy and myself when I chose Luke over him. That choice was symbolic and it signaled that I didn't care enough about him to pay attention to his feelings.

Sitting here now, I thought about how he must have felt when he saw me acting like a hopelessly obsessed fan girl around Luke. It must have been infinitely worse than how I felt about Reyna because Luke was secretly physically abusing and bullying him.

Wait. No.

It wasn't a secret, I was just too stupid to see it and when I did, I ignored it. My head hurt a lot now. This loop of thinking had plagued me ever since Percy had moved and it was a self-destructive habit for me to just constantly beat myself up about it. Maybe that was because it was hard for me to accept that I had actually been wrong for once and that Percy had been right all along...

"Ms. Chase, I will not ask you again - What is your answer to the problem on the board?" Mrs. Adams snapped, breaking me out of my reverie.

My blood rushed to my face, making it uncomfortably warm as I blinked at the problem. "Uh, I don't know..." I said, tugging on one of my curls.

Mrs. Adam's bore a shocked expression on her face, clearly not used to me not having an answer. "Make sure to review this section Ms. Chase and kindly pay attention instead of day dreaming. I'll let you off with a warning." Mrs. Adams warned and the rest of the class snickered.

I nodded earnestly, trying to disguise my embarrassment. For the rest of the lesson, I gave my undivided attention to what Mrs. Adams was saying and answered all the practice problems in record time to compensate for my previous lack of effort.

Eventually the bell rang and I rushed out the room, my notebooks and pens stuffed in the crook of arm and my backpack half open. Calculus was right before lunch and then after lunch was English with Percy and his step dad. Mr. Blofis was pretty cool in my opinion and I'm glad Sally finally remarried to someone nice. Percy seemed to get along well with him too so he must have been awesome.

My plan was to talk to Luke as soon as school ended. As soon as lunch started, I sat down by myself and began to eat my sandwich. Looking around though, I didn't see Percy in the cafeteria. I decided to wander around school to go apologize to him about what happened last weekend. He probably ran off that day since he was taken aback by the fact that he had danced with me, and while that hurt, I guess I could understand it.

After a few minutes of wandering around, I found him hunched over a bunch of flowers in the garden in the school courtyard. Someone was with him - Katie Gardener, Head of the Horticulture Club. I stifled a flare of jealousy that shot through my stomach when I saw them laughing with each other and when Katie playfully punched his shoulder. Moving closer, I attempted to listen in on their conversation.

I heard Katie's voice first. "I didn't know you were into gardening. When did this happen?" Katie asked.

Percy shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as he carefully piled dirt over a small tree and patted it down, almost lovingly. "I don't really know - I guess I just like the idea of helping something grow and caring for it. Does that sound weird?" He asked her, pausing to tilt his head towards her.

Katie waved her hand to physically represent her waiving off the notion. "Not at all! I feel the exact same way. There's something magical about seeing a living thing grow before your very eyes," she said.

He chuckled in response before answering. "Magical indeed. It's somewhat therapeutic," he confessed and Katie shook her head in agreement.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," she said and they continued planting in silence for a while.

I swallowed quietly, trying my hardest not to feel jealous. They were just talking to each other like friends and they weren't flirting or anything, but I still felt so darn jealous. I didn't even have claim to him, so I had no right to feel that way.

"Do you garden at home?" Katie asked, breaking the silence.

Percy nodded in response. "Yeah, back when I lived in Chicago, I would visit the botanical gardens all the time - it was my favorite place in the city. My girlfriend loved it too. It inspired me to have a garden of my own and so after a while, I had a pretty decent sized one. I grew everything there, but mostly herbs and flowers. However, after I moved here, I only managed to bring my carnations with. Now I have a bloom of carnations," he explained.

_So that's where he got the carnations! _I thought to myself in surprise. I had never suspected that he had actually planted them and picked them out specifically for myself. I resolved to find out if there was some symbolic meaning to them.

"Well you should join the horticulture club. We would love to have you!" Katie enthused and Percy grinned at her.

"I would love to. Text me the details," Percy said.

"Sure. I gotta go, Perce. I have to talk to Mr. Blofis about our big project," she said, standing up and dusting off her jeans.

Percy smirked at her. "Trying to convince him to let you escape Travis?" He joked and Katie blushed like a strawberry.

"Umm, n-no! Travis is fine," she squeaked and Percy laughed happily. I found myself smiling at the sound of his laughter, unburdened and carefree, since I didn't have the privilege of hearing it.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night Katie," he teased, before Katie quickly scampered away.

Percy diverted his attention back to his little tree with a happy grin on his face. As I looked at him, I noticed he was different around these plants. He looked young, happy, unburdened, and carefree. The feral quality in his eyes were wholly nonexistent as he looked at the trees with the type of care that a mother reserves for her child.

Once again, I was struck by how much Percy had changed. He was a man now, in every sense of the word. He was responsible, mature, and sophisticated - all words that I would never use to describe the old Percy. It was like he was improved with all his best old qualities still intact but now infused with an element of elegance and maturation. Sure he was a little more distant now, but that was mostly around me or people that really wronged him when he was younger. Around others, he was just as cheery and happy as he used to be - his interaction with Katie had revealed that much.

"It's a cherry tree." Percy spoke, still tending to the plant.

_He knew I was here the whole time! _I thought in a split second filled with unrestricted panic.

"Oh, okay." I said, not really able to formulate a proper response.

Percy paused and rolled up the sleeves of his flannel shirt which had slipped down before peering up from the plant and looking at me. The sunlight made him squint at me and he covered his eyes with his hand.

"You want to come see it?" He asked and beckoned me over.

With a gulp, I shuffled over to him, still holding my sandwich in my hands. Crouching down besides him, I tucked my hair behind my ears and watched him as he continued to shift the fertilizer around the base of the plant.

"Listen Annabeth, I'm really sorry about running off on Friday. I just really needed to clear my head and I'm sorry that I acted so estranged," he spoke suddenly and nonchalantly, now reaching for a pail of water.

Completely caught off guard, I struggled to formulate a response. "You don't have to say anything. I just wanted to apologize." Percy said and I merely nodded, thankful that I had been spared from replying.

My foot shifted against the soft grass as a silence, neither comfortable nor uncomfortable, enveloped us while Percy worked. "I didn't know you liked to garden." I said after a while.

"Yeah, it's a hobby now. It was something Reyna and I used to do together back in Chicago," he said casually, but my stomach twisted into knots at the mention of her name.

"Oh, that's nice." I said quietly.

He nodded his head before looking up into the distance, probably reliving memories. "Yeah, it was." He said simply.

"You need some help?" I asked before another silence could settle.

Percy tilted his head towards me and gave me a slight smile that made my heart flutter. "Sure," he said.

I nodded slightly to acknowledge his response before reaching for a spade.

We began to work on some of the other plants before returning to the little cherry tree again. As we heaped more fertilizer onto the plant, my hand accidentally brushed up against Percy's and I resisted the urge to squeak. Percy's head tilted towards me and our eyes met - even though they were still guarded, I could see that he was making an attempt to accept me. He smiled warmly and it was a genuine smile that made my heart race. He squeezed my index finger before dropping his hand back to even out the fertilizer.

Then he stood up while I was still attempting to process what just happened and calm my stupid heart rate, and brushed the dirt off his jeans, mirroring Katie's actions from before.

"I gotta go, Annabeth. I still haven't eaten lunch yet," he said, looking down at me.

I craned my head up towards him, and squinted in the sunlight as I nodded. Instead of leaving, Percy just stood there and looked at me, thinking intensely and I could see the way his eyes raced with thoughts.

He bit his lip in contemplation before addressing me. "I have an idea; This can be our cherry tree. We can both care for it together. How does that sound?" He asked me and I looked at him in slight confusion.

"Sure, I guess." I said, before berating myself for down playing his attempt to establish a bond together.

Percy looked away from me and into some fixed point in the distance again. "Who knows? Maybe something good can grow out of it," he said casually, but I could detect some deeper meaning behind his words. Then without further ado, he left me there, crouching in front of the cherry tree. No, not _the_ cherry tree, _our_ cherry tree.

* * *

"Remember to finish pages thirty seven through fifty eight for tomorrow!" Mr. Blofis called out as the students began to pour out of the classroom.

I walked slowly, trying to stall my confrontation with Luke for as long as I could. With a sigh, I realized that it was futile and that I might as well get it over with.

Ever since the ill fated event at the Back-to-School party, Luke had been constantly texting or calling me, trying to tell me he was sorry and that he was drunk and that it would never happen again. Any medium of communication, save direct conversation, was utilized in his attempt to gain my forgiveness, but I would ignore them all. His actions were unforgivable and I wanted to end it.

I knew that as long as I stayed with Luke, Percy would never truly accept or trust me. The interaction in the school courtyard today gave me hope. It showed me what life would be like for me, well for us, if we could get past this. The ball was in my court now after that and I had to make the first move to repair our relationship. It would have to start with this.

My feet moved of their own accord towards Luke's locker as my brain pondered. He had his back to me as he took his books out of his locker and crammed them in his backpack.

"Luke." I said curtly, trying to sound confident.

His hand froze midway between his locker and his backpack and then his head snapped up. Relief washed over his face and he looked as though a large weight was removed from his shoulders.

"Annabeth!" He said happily, coming forward to try to hug me.

I stepped back and he paused before pursing his lips. "So you're still mad at me, huh?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah, I am." I said simply, watching as the other students milled out of the school like a flood.

"I am so sorry. I wasn't thinking that night and I was drunk and my mom has been doing worse-" he started before I cut him off.

"I'm not here to listen to your excuses. No matter what happened to you, you had no right to do that to me. What would you have done if you weren't stopped?" I asked, carefully avoiding Percy's name.

Luke looked at his feet in embarrassment, so I answered for him. "You were probably going to sexually assault me in public." I finished for him.

"Annabeth, I can't begin to tell you how awful and guilty I've felt. I swear, I never meant to hurt you." He said.

"Luke, I can't do this anymore. It's not just this, but you push me to do these type of things even though I'm not comfortable and I feel like you're just with me to try to get into my pants." I said after taking a deep breath.

He looked at me angrily. "Is this because of Jackson?" He asked.

"No. This is because of you and me." I stated and he glowered at me.

"Luke, I'm breaking up with you." I said defiantly and the anger on his face amplified till he turned red with rage.

Fear coursed through my body as he advanced on me. Before I could react, he slapped me across the face with the back of his hand. I fell to the floor and clutched my throbbing cheek, looking up at him in shock.

"I've been cheating on you with Drew since midway through freshman year. She's so much better than you at everything and don't even get me started on how good she is in bed." He sneered and I felt a film of hot tears coat my eyes.

"Go grovel in front of Jackson, you stupid whore." Luke snapped before leaving me lying there on the floor.

With a start, I stood up and ran out of the school. My feet slapped against the pavement rhythmically and my blood pounded in my ears. I felt my brain go blank and my feet carried me to some unknown destination. I refused to let my tears fall so I brushed them away as I ran.

After a while, I stopped and breathed heavily, trying to take in as much oxygen as my lungs would allow. I bent over and clutched my thighs harshly as I recovered my breathing. Looking up, I realized that I was in front of Percy's house. My subconscious must have steered me towards him because I knew that he was the only one that could give me any amount of comfort in my present state.

I sat down on the steps leading to his front door and waited. He had swim practice after school, but he was getting back in thirty or so minutes.

As I sat, I went into a state of shock where time and space held no meaning. My brain went blissfully blank and all I did was just sit there and exist. It felt nice to not feel anything, to just be numb and blank for once in my life. I was so sick and tired of being on the edge, my emotions teetering on a precipice, that this was a welcome change.

Percy arrived forty or so minutes later, and with his arrival, my emotions came as well. The film of tears coated my eyes again as he paused in front of his drive way, looking at me curiously. His hair, still wet from swim practice, was matted against his head and his sea green eyes shone brightly even at this distance.

"I broke up with Luke." I somehow managed to croak, my voice sounding raw and hoarse.

He raised an eyebrow and studied me for a minute, not moving towards me or saying anything. Then he turned around and began to walk away. My heart sank into the depths of oblivion until he turned around and rolled his eyes at me before beckoning me to follow him.

I smiled to myself and brushed away my tears before jogging up beside him, bringing my backpack along with me. Once I reached him, he looked expectantly at me and I knew that he wanted me to say more.

I began to relay the entire story from what happened from after he moved, to the party, to what just happened. The entire time, Percy listened attentively and made no attempt to interrupt me. By the time I had finished recounting my tale, we had reached a park and Percy plopped down in a swing. When I looked at him, he gestured wordlessly towards the empty swing besides him and I sat down as well.

"How are you holding up now?" Percy asked, speaking for the first time since we had started walking.

I thought for a second before I answered. "I am really hurt but also kind of relieved that I left a jerk like him." I admitted and Percy nodded once in a clipped manner oddly reminiscent of a bird.

Running my feet back and forth, the swing moved leisurely as silence took over. "You were right about him all along." I said before Percy interrupted.

"Now is neither the time nor the place to have that conversation. Right now, we need to focus on you, alright?" Percy said softly, looking at an oak tree some twenty feet in front of us.

"Okay." I whispered and he looked me in the eyes - green on gray.

"I think that Luke was stupid for doing all that. No one should ever treat a girl that way or cheat on them. That signals a lack of respect and proves that he has no right to call himself a boyfriend." Percy said.

"A boyfriend's responsibility is to keep his girlfriend happy and content, not miserable and unhappy. If he can't do that, he's failed and that shows that he was never right for you in the first place." He continued and I listened intently.

"This is good for you, Annabeth. I don't think that he was very good to or for you. You'll be able to meet some new guy that'll treat you like a princess. It's your job to keep an eye out." Percy finished and I nodded.

"Thanks." I murmured, feeling slightly better. It wasn't exactly conventional comfort, but I felt much happier now. Percy made it sound like I had new possibilities and that the world was my oyster, waiting to be explored. I guess that was the most comforting outlook there was to a break up.

In response, Percy smiled warmly at me again, just like he did in the school courtyard. Looking at him, I felt a silly, dopey grin split across my face despite my circumstances.

"Do you remember where we are?" Percy asked me suddenly as I turned forwards to cover my smile.

I thought about what he asked and memories of Percy and I playing in this very park, riding this very swing set, in this particular arrangement flashed before my eyes. This was where we first met...

_I was sitting on a swing in the park during a hot summer day, licking my orange popsicle with obvious relish. My five year old adorable little self had sticky orangey goodness plastered all over her mouth and my curly hair crazily covered my head like ivy covers a building. _

_In my contentment, I didn't notice a little boy about my age walk over to me and look at me with wonder in his eyes. _

_"Woah! Is that a deluxe super orange creamsicle?" He asked in disbelief and I proudly nodded my head._

_"No way!" He said in awe and walked closer to me._

_I twisted my tiny frame to hide my popsicle from the boy. "You can't take it!" I shrieked. I was fairly accustomed to other kids attempting to steal my ice cream and I was sick of it. This kid surely wasn't going to get the chance to._

_"I won't take it. I promise! I just wanna see it." He pleaded and I relented. I squirmed and uncovered my delicious frozen confectionary for him to see, but I still regarded him with suspicion. _

_"Wow!" He said in admiration and I giggled at his response._

_"I'm Percy, nice to meet you." He said, extending his hand._

_I giggled again before meeting his hand. "Aren't you polite; I'm Annabeth Chase." I said in response._

_Percy grinned and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand nervously. "Well Annabeth, do you want to play?" He asked me and I shook my head eagerly._

_For the next hour or so, Percy and I ran around and had a lot of fun, but the entire time, I kept my popsicle in my hand. We were playing tag when Percy tripped and I fell over him. I watched in horror as my popsicle flew in the air in a perfect arc before colliding violently with the ground._

_"My ice cream!" I cried out and Percy looked at me in guilt._

_"I'm so sorry Annabeth!" He said but I ran away from him in anger, back to my swing. _

_I cried to myself slightly before I heard Percy returning. I hastily wiped my tears away at the sound of his approaching footsteps. "Go away! You ruined my ice cream!" I screamed at him, but he didn't make an effort to step away. Instead, he just came closer until he stood behind me. _

_Without another word, he pushed me strongly on the swing so that I moved forward. I froze in surprise until I came back only to be pushed up once again. This continued and no matter how hard I tried to stay angry at him, I felt it dissipate and I enjoyed myself. _

_"Higher! Higher!" I pressed eagerly, and Percy obeyed. _

_I soared higher and higher into the sky, getting a full view of the play ground. At that moment, I felt like the supreme queen of the play ground, surveying my domain from a position of power. Percy continued to push me and I laughed brightly all the while. When he finally stopped, he looked me in the eye and apologized again, but I had already forgiven him. _

_That was the day that Percy and I became best friends..._

"This is where we first met." I whispered and Percy nodded, pleased with my answer.

Then before I could react, Percy rose wordlessly and stood directly behind me. He pushed me forwards and I felt my past and present meld together creating a sense of euphoria that I had never experienced before.

A sense of childish innocence overcame me as I swang forward and returned backwards only to have Percy push me again, beginning the cycle anew. The idea that Percy was pushing me made me oddly emotional. It was symbolic; he literally had my back. It was like he was trying to tell me that he supported me and the fact that he was willing to push me when I was upset made me ecstatic.

Sometime later, Percy stopped pushing, walked in front of me, and crouched down looking me straight in the eyes. The feelings of joy began to fade away only to be replaced by a hurt free from shock. Now I could feel the full brunt of my emotions wash over me.

"Why did this happen to me Percy?" I questioned him.

"Sometimes things fall apart so that better things can fall together," he whispered to me. I felt something click inside me at his words and once again, before I could process what was happening, Percy kissed my cheek, right where Luke had hit me.

I felt a fire burn right where his lips made contact with my skin. He looked at me again and smiled. "Things are going to get better. I promise." He whispered and I found myself nodding earnestly.

With that, he stood and left the park without another word and I watched him go, still sitting on my favorite swing. I began to pump my legs, swinging back and forth and I played his words endlessly back in my mind and thought about our cherry tree.

_Sometimes things fall apart so that better things can fall together. _

_For once, Percy Jackson, you just might be right. _I thought happily to myself as I climbed ever higher into the air.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! I have finally updated, so hurray! This chapter is chock full with symbolism - you should google the symbolism of a cherry tree since it is very important to the story as a whole. Additionally, the carnations from two chapters ago also have symbolic value so google that too. There's not much else to say with this chapter except that I think that you all can see that the beginnings of the reformation of their friendship starts here. I want to take things at an appropriate pace so don't get frustrated with me - I want it to seem natural. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and as always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**


	19. Something Worth Fighting For

**Something Worth Fighting For**

**Percy's POV:**

Gazing at my laptop's screen, I read over my rough draft of our literary analysis project for English. Annabeth was sprawled over the carpet in my living room doing the same thing with her rough draft as well. I cast a furtive glance at her as she nibbled on her bottom lip and absent mindedly twirled one of her princess curls around her finger. Quickly, my gaze flitted back to my computer screen and I edited a typo that I had missed on my first revision.

It had been three weeks after Annabeth had broken up with Luke and we were seeing each other more often, though what exactly had brought that about remained a mystery to me. For one thing, the project was forcing us to spend more time together. Originally when we worked on it, we would go our separate ways as soon as we had met our goal for the day, but as of late, we would spend some time together afterwards hanging out or goofing off.

I remained as guarded and skeptical as ever, but I was starting to warm up to her. It was slow and I never let myself open up or feel too good about it, but I could at least tolerate standing in the same room as her without wanting to make some harsh comment intended to upset her or make her feel guilty. We still definitely argued, but my comments weren't as vindictive or malicious as they once were.

Despite all that, I still don't trust her. Things are more difficult than ever for me as my mind continues to tear itself apart as my personas combat one another. Frankly, I didn't know how much more of this I can take; at some point, there is going to be a final battle and a clear victor will be crowned. I just hope desperately that they will both somehow kill each other off so that I could finally just be me.

Things were so much more complicated here than they were in Chicago. I was actually free to be myself there; I could be happy and my community accepted and liked me. Here, there are so many burned bridges that need to be rebuilt, so many hurts that can never be glossed over. My predicament was akin to approaching a city struck by a hurricane with the intent of reconstructing it.

"You better stop goofing off, Seaweed Brain. Get back to work!" Annabeth chided, her face still buried in her laptop, and I snapped out of my musings in a state of confusion.

"What?" I asked stupidly, feeling slightly bewildered.

She looked at me and then laughed brightly causing my eyes to soften ever so slightly before I consciously forced them to harden again. "Back. To. Work. Comprende?" Annabeth spelled out, jabbing with her pointer finger in my general direction.

I scoffed at her indignantly and turned my attention back to my paper, but not before noticing the small smile that spread across her face as I do so. With an indulgent smirk of my own, I continued to scroll down and hunted after spelling and grammar mistakes. Dyslexia started kicking in and before I knew it, the words leapt off the screen and began swimming before my eyes.

By now, I had developed a fool proof method for combating my dyslexia, but I had to give Reyna all the credit since she was the one that had helped me out in the first place. Her voice practically rang out in my head.

_Take a deep breath, you knuckle head... _Her soft voice coaxed, and my eyes gently fluttered shut as I drew in a long breath and exhaled slowly.

_Now sound out the phonemes - break each part down into smaller pieces. _Staring at the words on the page, I slowly dissected each individual word and made my way across the page.

_Say the syllables out loud and connect them together. _Whispering inaudibly under my breath, I enunciated each syllable separately and then pieced them all together in the end.

With a rush of pride at my small accomplishment, I realized that I had managed to read through my entire report and my mistakes were now all fixed. I lit up with a small satisfied smile, but it vanished when I looked up and saw Annabeth staring at me curiously. My face reddened instantly and I felt embarrassed that she had seen me - I was really discreet about my dyslexia at school and only Reyna really knew I did that, but she didn't judge me because I had to do it.

"What?" I challenged her after clearing my throat.

"You've finally managed to overcome your problems with dyslexia! I'm proud of you, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth gushed and I smiled inwardly and felt grateful that she didn't make fun of or judge me.

My hand met the back of my neck and I rubbed it nervously. "Well, don't give me all the credit; Reyna was the one that came up with that process. There is no way that I am smart enough to think of something like that." I confessed, but Annabeth's face darkened at the mention of Reyna's name, an occurrence that I had been picking up on more and more.

Invoking her name seemed like some sort of taboo or voodoo magic to Annabeth because she would always clam up and an angry look would enter her eyes, just like it did right now. I didn't understand - Annabeth had no reason to be mad at Reyna; she had never even met her before so she had absolutely no right to judge her.

"Aww, you're just being modest. You could have easily thought of something like that." Annabeth said, trying to keep her tone light, but it ended up sounding really strained and taut.

I cast a curious glance at her and wondered what was going through that incomprehensible head of hers. With a shake of my head, I dispelled all thought related to that matter because it made me feel uncomfortable for some reason.

_Not my problem... _I thought to myself dryly before diverting my attention towards my laptop again.

Through the corner of my eye, I saw Annabeth do the same but her body was tensed like she was ready to run a sprint. It struck me as amusing, but I held my tongue since I didn't want her to get mad at me.

After two more minutes of uselessly revising my draft, I shut my laptop and stood up, off the sofa and stretched my limbs to maximum capacity. A yawn escaped my mouth, but when I glanced up at the clock, I realized that it was just about to be seven.

"We need a break." I stated and Annabeth peered up at me curiously.

"What do you have in mind?" She asked inquisitively and I made my way over to my movie library.

To answer, I held up two of my most favorite and treasure movies. "Okay, so it's a decision between The Two Towers or The Return of the King." I said, turning to Annabeth and handing her both the cases.

She critically appraised them before cocking an eyebrow and looking at me in a condescending manner reminiscent of her childhood glares. "They're both Lord of the Rings movies..." She stated flatly.

I scowled at her. "You make that sound like that's a bad thing." I protested and she cracked a smile.

"The Two Towers." She chose shortly after and I grinned widely.

"Excellent choice - It's my favorite one in the series." I confessed and she gave me a smug expression like she had known along. Honestly, I wouldn't really have been too surprised if she had.

Annabeth made her way over to the sofa and sank down, her arms crossed over her chest, but her body was turned sideways about forty five degrees. A stray strand of her golden blond hair dangled close by the side of her right eye and she looked lazily content.

As I shoved my mint condition blu-ray extended version of The Two Towers, I cast another furtive glance at her as she stared out a window absentmindedly. She was dressed in sweats and an old summer camp T-shirt; it was summer and she was wearing sweats... Girls are weird.

She caught me looking and a twinkle appeared in her gray eyes. "Like what you see, Jackson?" She teased, her lips twitching upwards.

I smirked at her mischievously. "You look like a couch potato, Chase." I proclaimed, tactfully avoiding her question.

The pillow that hurtled towards me was only barely avoided as I ducked out of the way. When we looked at each other, our expressions broke and we laughed loudly and carelessly. Clutching my stomach, I doubled over when Annabeth actually slipped and fell off the couch amidst her mirth. Instead of helping her up, I just laughed loudly as she shot a glare at me that she eventually couldn't maintain as she started laughing again as well.

When we finally stopped laughing and recovered, I realized that we had somehow made it closer to each other while we were carried away laughing. We both gazed at each fondly, and I couldn't help but notice the forlorn, melancholy look in her eyes when they met my own.

Without quite knowing what I was doing, I reached over on impulse to brush that offending stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her face turned a violent shade of red and I resisted the temptation to laugh at her expense. Then I also began to feel awkward so I cleared my throat audibly, but that only solidified the tension in the room.

The blaring sound of the Lord of the Rings theme jolted us out of whatever tense atmosphere we had created, and I couldn't help but feel relieved. We both stood up and sat down on the sofa on opposite ends from one another; Annabeth curled up in the position she had been in earlier, and me sitting erectly, eagerly waiting to watch the movie.

Soon the movie began to play and we both found ourselves enchanted with the movie, spellbound by the masterful directing and timeless story telling that made it truly spectacular. For the next four hours, we sat there and watched fixatedly and silently at Peter Jackson's prodigal work. At some point, Annabeth had swung her legs onto my lap and I unconsciously permitted them to stay there.

We got to my favorite scene in the movie: the speech that Sam gives as he and Frodo watch the knights of Gondor fight against the forces of Mordor in Osgilliath, when I cast my third furtive glance at the girl sitting besides me, watching enamoredly and with a wistful glint in her eyes.

The sound of Sam's speech reached my ears. "Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something..." He said wisely, and I felt my heart quiver inside my chest with emotion and anticipation like it always did at those words.

I eagerly awaited Frodo's response and mouthed the words along with him as he spoke them. "What are we holding onto Sam?"

At this point of time, I knew that Sam would turn around from his perch and look Frodo squarely in the eyes before imparting the wisest words that I had ever heard anybody ever utter. I carefully studied Annabeth's reaction to his words because I was genuinely curious about how she would respond.

Sam's voice came back through and the main theme began to play yet again with an aching nostalgic familiarity. "There's some good in this world Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for."

I watched as Annabeth's eyes widened to the size of saucers before swimming with an alien emotion. When a solitary traitorous tear slid down her soft, tan cheek, my hand reflexively went to brush it away. Gently, with the back of my index finger, I stole the tear away and flinched when Annabeth's head snapped in my direction.

Realization that I had been studying her for some time now flashed before her eyes and I looked away guiltily. When I found the courage to look back at her again, she gave me a teary smile that I couldn't help but return with a warm and comforting one.

I swear that I heard a choked sound come from the back of her throat, but it might have just been my imagination. We smiled at each other one final time before diverting our attention back to finishing the remainder of the movie.

When it finished, Annabeth stood up and stretched as I did so as well. Now it was Annabeth's turn to yawn and I thought she looked like a sleepy kitten when she did so, but I held my tongue because there was no way I could dodge a flying pillow point blank.

"I really enjoyed the movie. I didn't think that you would have such good taste, Seaweed Brain." She teased, but I heard a tinge of pride in her voice. My response was merely to scowl at her in an indignant manner.

My hand fluttered over my heart and I spoke with mock hurt. "Oh! I've been wounded - call an ambulance!" I moaned dramatically and Annabeth chuckled besides me before punching my shoulder playfully.

"Get over it, Seaweed Brain." She mumbled sleepily.

"The tongue like a sharp knife, kills without drawing blood." I recited and she looked at me with amusement.

"Citing the Buddha now are we?" She chortled and I grinned in response.

Then suddenly she met my eyes with an intense expression and my silly smile slid off my face. "I think that I just found something worth fighting for." She whispered so quietly that I almost didn't miss it.

Before I could respond, she leant in and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. As I blinked in rapid succession, attempting to process what exactly had just happened, Annabeth gathered her things and walked out the door. "Laters, Seaweed Brain!" She called out behind her as she shut the door after her.

With a dazed expression on my face, I trudged back up the stairs and into my room. As I sank into my bed and stared at my ceiling, I replayed the events that had just occurred seconds ago downstairs. My hand gently probed the area on my cheek where Annabeth's lips had brushed up against my skin and it felt like it was ablaze.

In that moment, the two raging colossi battling in my psyche had declared a cease-fire of sorts because they suddenly became undetectable. Neither the dark unforgiving or the starved addict sides could be felt at all. For once since my return to New York I was Percy, just Percy.

It felt good. _Really_ good. For once, there wasn't that constant internal turmoil that made my emotions and thoughts bubble with tension like a pressure cooker. My mind remained still and blissfully blank, allowing me to think with clarity for the first time in recent months. The feeling was so liberating and pleasant that I almost cried out with happiness, but I contained myself even though no one was home.

Feeling giddy, I turned on my side and my eyes met the electronic photo frame that Reyna had given me when I had moved. It seemed to be stuck on one particular picture as though the batteries had died. It was the picture of Reyna standing in her kitchen holding the cupcakes up for the camera.

_I. Love. You. _I read aloud and my heart filled up with saudade and bittersweet suffering as memories we shared together flooded back into my brain. All the crazy and wonderful times that we shared together flashed before my eyes like the world's greatest private movie.

It was at that second that my iPhone decided to ring jarringly, disturbing me from my nostalgic reminiscing. With an annoyed huff, I reached for the phone and then I realized with excitement that I recognized the ring tone.

My trembling fingers eagerly stabbed at the accept call button and I hastily pressed my phone against my ear, straining to hear the soft, gentle voice that haunted my dreams, the one that I could never tire of hearing.

"H-Hey Rey." I whispered breathlessly, eagerly anticipating her response.

"Percy? Is this a bad time?" She asked on the other end of the line.

I shook my head fervently even though she wasn't even here. "No, no, no! This isn't a bad time! This a great time, really!" I rambled inarticulately before she cut me off.

"Perce?"

"Yeah?"

"You're rambling." She said and I could practically hear her smile on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, sorry about that." I mumbled and she laughed happily on the other end, making my heart flutter and do all sorts of things that it was not supposed to ever do.

Once she stopped laughing, she continued talking. "Well, I just wanted to tell you something. Something very important." She said, suddenly turning serious.

Trying to quell feelings of interest that were beginning to burst violently through my stomach, I managed to stammer a response. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

Silence.

"Well, what is it?" I ask helplessly when curiosity finally got the better of me. Now more than ever, I dearly wished that the expression "Curiosity killed the cat" wouldn't apply to my current situation.

"Well..." She trailed off, obviously enjoying tormenting me.

"Well what?" I pleaded.

She laughed again before speaking. "I'm coming to New York over Winter Break to see you!" She burst out happily and my heart stopped before soaring in relief. I swear to god that I thought she was officially breaking up with me.

"Rey, that's great! I'll show you around the city and we can spend some time together!" I replied, floating on cloud nine.

"I know! It's going to be fantastic!" She gushed and I smiled. Reyna never gushed unless she was truly and genuinely excited or happy about something. Knowing that seeing me had that effect on her warmed my heart.

"Be sure to let me know just when you're heading over. I'll personally pick you up from the airport when you get here." I stated and she laughed brightly again.

"Will do! I'll send you the details as the trip gets closer. Look forward to seeing you in two months! Love you!" She said with conviction.

"Love you too." I replied reflexively, not even having to think about saying it anymore; it was as easy as breathing and just as true.

With that, she hung up and when my head hit my pillow, I floated off into a dreamless and fitful sleep, filled with the promise of tomorrow.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! I finally updated! The monster that is writer's block lies bloody and defeated beneath my feet. This is SPARTA! Haha, I am such a goof. This chapter was precarious since I didn't want to take things so slow it would bore you, but not so fast that it would shatter the realism of the story. Hmm, what does Annabeth think is worth fighting for? What does Reyna's visit mean for the Percy and Annabeth's budding friendship? Only time will tell! Anyhow, I hope that you all enjoyed it, and as always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**

**Side Note: I recently published my first one shot and I would truly appreciate it if you checked it out. It's pretty unique and I am awfully proud of it, despite the experience being kind of frustrating yet pleasurable. **

**I also apologize for the update debacle that happened yesterday - I was going to turn out an Author Note chapter explaining why it was taking so long to update, but then I removed it because I realized that it would just piss you all off. Sorry for the mix up! **


	20. The Scientist

******BIG FAVOR: **I just wrote a new story called Treading Water that is centered around Nico and I would be absolutely smitten if you would give it a read and drop a review. I usually don't plead for reviews, but I would be eternally grateful if you would just spare a few minutes to give it a read. **In fact, for every review that I get, I'll allow you to ask me one question about any one of my stories that I will completely answer, no beating around the bush.** Please just give it a read, I promise you won't regret it. Thanks!

**The Scientist**

**Annabeth's POV:**

Winter time in New York, particularly December, was a rather frigid affair to say the least, but it was also a time of festivity and that holiday spirit was just really tangible. For once in my life, I was in the holiday spirit and Percy might have had a _little_ to do with it. Just a bit.

Things were finally turning around for us and I couldn't be happier. Sure, we weren't waltzing around in a spring time meadow filled with flowers and birds, but our friendship was slowly reforming and reshaping itself. Things were going as fast as I assumed they would. After all, Percy wasn't just going to greet me with open arms and I could totally understand that.

My cheek pressed up against the cold window pane of the school bus as I began to nod off, not getting enough sleep the night before because I was practicing my half of the presentation for the giant English project I was doing with Percy. We had to present today and even though I had drilled the presentation with him about a thousand times, I still wanted to make sure that I had everything down.

The instant before I was finally about to enter REM, the bus shuddered to a halt and I muttered foul words underneath my breath as I dragged myself into the school. As I wandered to my locker, I sneezed loudly before groaning, hoping that I wouldn't be sick. I knew as I opened my locker that my nose would be a bright red color much to my chagrin.

_Great. I get to look like Rudolph on presentation day. _I thought to myself with a grimace.

After I shut my locker, I banged my head lightly against it in frustration. I knew at this point I probably looked like trash which wouldn't help my ethos at all while I was speaking.

"Doing all right there Annie?" Thalia asked from beside me.

Still keeping my forehead pressed up against my locker, I turned my head slightly so that I could make her out through the periphery of my vision. She was looking as "Stick it to the man" as ever, complete in her full punk rock regalia and eye liner.

"Don't even get me started, Thals." I muttered darkly under my breath and she winced.

"Sick?" She asked kindly and I nodded in response.

It was a pretty well known fact amongst my friends that when I was sick, a very rare occurrence, I would really take a brutal beating from the illness, usually missing a few days due to extreme head aches and sore throats. The head aches I could live with since sleep always helped out, but sore throats were the absolute worst. I couldn't eat or drink anything without my throat trying to slit itself. My tongue would always feel dry and sandpapery. Yeah, not fun at all.

With that, she draped an arm around my shoulder steering me to my Calculus class because the warning bell had rung. It was nice to have the support, but I dearly hoped that she wouldn't get sick. Thalia had a special sense for knowing exactly when to drop the punk persona and be the kind caring friend when I needed her to be.

I smiled unconsciously as she dropped me off and left with a wave. Then with another grumble, I shuffled into Mrs. Adam's class and sank into a seat, fighting with every fiber of my body to stay awake.

I did not succeed.

The second that Mrs. Adams started talking about going from rectangular to parametric coordinates for integrating surface area, my eyes decided that they would just go ahead and stop working. Before I knew it, I was entering a pretty fitful bout of REM sleep and I didn't particularly care how spectacularly easy it was to use integrate in terms of t as opposed to x.

When I woke up, I later recalled a strange dream involving a talking stuffed rabbit that seemed to want to, and I quote, "Stick me like a pig." I think that I have been watching way too much Lord of the Rings.

The sharp metallic snap of a ruler against my plastic desk jerked me awake almost instantly. I rubbed the sleep out my eyes groggily and looked up to Mrs. Adams glaring down at me with hate written all across her face. Yeah, it was settled; definitely not asking her to write me a letter of recommendation for college applications next year.

"Would it help if I said I was sorry?" I inquired innocently and I watched in morbid fascination as a solitary tremor ran through her bony frame.

"Out!" She barked with such ferocity that I yelped and nearly fell out of my seat. Under normal circumstances, the rest of the students would have probably laughed, but they were smart enough not to when Mrs. Adams was as angry and deadly as a striking krait.

Stumbling over my feet, I managed to get myself out of the room, my backpack in tow. However, instead of going to the principal's office, I just went to the nurses office to get some tylenol or something.

When I finally did make it into the nurses office, which was tucked in some obscure corner of the school, I was pretty surprised to see Percy sitting there with a thick bandage wrapped around his forearm.

"Oh my gosh, did you do something Seaweed Brained?" I accused, my voice laced with concern.

Percy turned to me and scowled. "Hey! I resent that, and for your information, it was an accident that wasn't my fault." He protested hotly, making me crack a smile.

I sat down beside him since the nurse was nowhere to be found. "What happened?" I asked curiously and he shrugged.

"We were doing dissections in biology and my lab partner wasn't focusing and accidentally cut me." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Well, how bad is it?" I inquired politely, still not entirely assuaged.

"It's just a scratch about two or so inches long. Nothing for you to worry about." He replied and I nodded slowly in agreement.

Then I flopped on my back and sank into the cushion before yawning very unattractively. I tried to quell the warmth of my cheeks when I caught Percy looking down and smirking at me.

My eyebrow cocked up challengingly. "You got something to say, Seaweed Brain?" I dared him and his smirk widened.

All he said was, "You look like a kitten," before flicking the tip of my nose gently with his index finger.

It was then that the nurse came back in and asked me what was wrong. After about two more minutes, I walked out feeling a bit better with some medicine in my system, but Percy had to stay behind. He gave me a mournful wave as I left that I returned with a sympathetic one.

The rest of the day passed by without a hitch and the presentation went phenomenally. At the end of the day, I just wanted more than anything to go home and sleep with reckless abandon but the next day was Friday, so I couldn't very well do that. I considered skipping school, but then decided to withhold all decisions until the morning and depending on the state of my health, I would either go or stay at home.

When I made it home, I tried to do my homework, but before I could help it, I was already drifting off. The only thing that I remembered was my dad bringing me upstairs to my room and tucking me in.

* * *

_My eyes opened and I was shocked to be standing on the precipice of a sheer limestone cliff facing the ocean. The sea was unruly, __retreating_ and licking against the monolithic nature of the cliff with an incomprehensible vengeance and ferocity. The salty ocean spray hit me full on in the face, invigorating me and filling my lungs with its tangy composition. I inhaled slowly, relishing the sight and how primal it seemed to feel as my hair whipped about carelessly in the wind.

_My breath hitched when a pair of strong arms encircled my waist and drew me back so that I collided softly against a warm body. I turned my head and was surprised to see a pair of familiar sea green eyes boring into my own, and I noticed how they twinkled with sheer happiness bordering on euphoria. Percy looked older and so did I - We both appeared to be in our late twenties judging by my minor increase in height and the amount of stubble on Percy's chin. _

_When his lips brushed up against the soft skin of my neck, I swear I went into conniptions, but my dream self seemed to overridingly suave about the whole affair, opting to smile into Percy's hair instead as though the occurrence was common place. _

_"Are you happy, Wise Girl?" Percy breathed against my neck, his warm breath raising goosebumps on my skin. _

_My dream self answered for me, thankfully, seeing as how my neurons were pretty much frozen in space. "Maybe." I teased and Percy chortled into my neck, making my heartbeat like a race horse on its last lap. _

_"I'm glad." He responded, before diving down to press a kiss on my cheek causing me to grin contently. _

_The scene changed and I saw a very angry Percy shutting my front door violently and storming into the rain, eyes flashing like dark tempests brewing out at sea. He was sixteen again and I saw him stalk away from my house, but not before vehemently throwing a bouquet of bone white carnations on my doorstep. This time, I was watching the scene in third person, like a camera filming some sort of movie. _

_Then I came bursting out the door nearly in tears, my hair a complete mess and my body trembling in fear and agony. _

_"Percy! Wait! Please, I am so sorry!" I cried out, stumbling after him. _

_His jaw clenched tightly as he continued to make his way to his car which he unlocked furiously. By the time the key was in the ignition and he was ready to back out of my drive way, I had finally dragged myself next to his car and was pounding against the window as he stoically ignored me. _

_I plead repeatedly for him to open the door, following the car as he backed out of the driveway. Before he finally did leave, he turned to face me pounding hysterically and my heart tore when I saw his eyes glistening with tears. He said something through clenched teeth, but I could still make out his words through the closed window. _

_When he left, I sank to the ground on my driveway sobbing in the rain as his harsh words echoed endlessly in my brain like an infinite loop. _

_"You are a _punishment_, Annabeth Chase." _

_The scene changed one final time and once again, I was in a camera-like third person view, but this time, neither of us were present in the scene. All I saw was Percy's house and judging by the stars in the night sky, it was somewhere around midnight. _

_His mother had hung some clothes out in the backyard to dry and I noticed his favorite Barcelona jersey with Reyna's name and number on it. Then before my very eyes, a great horned owl swooped out suddenly from the night sky and snatched up the jersey. With ease, it soared back into the air and left with the jersey secured firmly in its talons..._

* * *

I woke up with a start to the sound of the ringing doorbell. With a groan, I buried my face in pillow before glancing at the time. It was right after the end of first period and I had slept for over twelve hours. I rolled out of my bed with great disdain, flashing it a forlorn look before stomping downstairs with the grace of a hippopotamus.

When I finally opened the door, I was surprised to see Percy standing there with a brown paper bag in his hand. He flashed me a lopsided grin which caused his previous concerned expression to melt away and once again, my heart fluttered pleasantly in my chest.

"Hey! Get enough beauty sleep, Wise Girl?" Percy teased, leaning against the door frame.

My face flushed slightly, but not noticeably while I tried to obscure myself behind the door, knowing that I looked like a slob right now. "What're you doing here?" I asked, tactfully avoiding his question.

In response, Percy held the brown paper bag up so that I could see it more clearly. "My mom made you some soup and cookies since I told her you were sick." He stated and I smiled widely.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that, you know." I murmured, secretly grateful that he was sweet enough to bring me some food and for ditching school to see me.

Percy shrugged. "Yeah, I didn't have to, but I wanted to. Now are you going to just stand there or let me in? It's freezing out here." He asked, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

I felt flustered as I shifted out of the way mumbling a string of incoherent apologies, but he just waltzed in and waived it off with a bright laugh. After he removed his shoes, he and I wandered into the kitchen to deposit the soup and cookies until lunch time. I sat down and was surprised as Percy began making me breakfast.

He poured me a glass of hot chocolate that warmed my throat and began to make some pancakes. I watched him tiredly as he worked, adding blue food dye to the pancake batter just like he always used to do. I smiled at the thought.

_Some things never change, and they never should. _I thought happily to myself.

Within minutes, he slid a plate of pancakes to me and had his own as well. He sat next to me at the kitchen island as we ate his blue blueberry pancakes. He must have brought the batter or something because I knew that my parents didn't have any pancake mix at home.

"Mom's secret pancake batter." He stated, answering my unasked question.

I looked at him and flashed him a grateful, if tired, smile. "Thanks for doing all this, you really didn't have to." I repeated and yet again he chortled and waived it off.

"Oh, don't thank me yet. We have a whole day of sick-friendly activities to complete. Starting... With these." He said as he dug in his backpack to produce two Disney movies from the confines.

"The Fox and the Hound and Toy Story 3..." I read, squinting my eyes to make out the titles and Percy smiled.

"We can watch them whenever you want. Actually, you're probably pretty tired right now. Oh gods, am I keeping you awake? I am aren't I? Why I am so stup-" He began rambling before I cut him off, the corners of my lips twitching upwards.

"You're rambling, Seaweed Brain." I chortled and Percy directed his gaze away in embarrassment. It occurred to me in that second that that was the biggest glimpse of the old Percy that I had seen since he moved back. He used to always ramble when he got nervous, but when he came back he was as calm as a cucumber, barely perturbed by anything. Seeing him this way brought back fond memories.

"What?" He asked, pulling me back out of my thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You were staring at me really weirdly."

Blush. "Was not!"

"Were too!"

"Was not!"

"Geez Annabeth, what are you, five?"

"So what if I am?"

Silence.

"Unbelievable."

"What was that?"

"I said unbelievable."

"You're unbelievable, Seaweed Brain."

"Childish bickering doesn't suit you Annabeth. That's my forte."

"Well, ever since you become insanely smart and started quoting the Buddha and whatnot, I decided that we should probably flip roles."

Silence.

"Nah, you're just going to live with the fact that I am a jack of all trades."

"Master of none."

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

And such was our playful banter as we spent the day goofing off, watching horrible daytime television programming, and snacking on assorted junk food. We both curled up on my sofa, wrapped in a blanket, tangled up with each other in a friendly manner.

It was around lunch time when we were both drinking Sally's amazing soup and eating blue cookies that we began watching The Fox and the Hound. For some reason, that had always been Percy's favorite Disney movie and I could never fathom why. It was pretty depressing in my eyes and it seemed horrible inconsistent with his character when he was younger, but he adored the movie. Watching the movie again, I still couldn't understand why he loved it so much, but it gained a special place for it in my heart because of how much I could relate to it.

The Fox and the Hound start of as best friends playing with each other since they were both children, but as they grow older, they realize that there are differences between them and they drift apart. Soon they become enemies when the Hound's owner, a hunting man, takes an interest in hunting foxes and of course, the Hound has a run in with the Fox and they have to fight each other. They become bitter adversaries that brought each other pain, but at the end, they finally manage to reform their friendship.

I knew that it wasn't an exact match to my predicament with Percy since I didn't really have any reason to hate or resent him, but it still resonated with me to a certain extent. I wonder if that's what Percy felt like when we were younger. Did he know that this would happen to us eventually? I had a nagging suspicion that he always did. During the later stages of our childhood friendship, particularly at the start of middle school, Percy would wear a look of perpetual dread when he thought that no one was looking. I noticed of course, but at the time, I didn't really know what to make of it. Now of course, I did and I hated myself for not seeing it sooner because then maybe I could have fixed things.

Percy stood up to put Toy Story 3 into the Blu-Ray player, but I stopped him because I wanted to talk to him. He sat back down when I called him back, his eyebrow cocked inquisitively.

"Did you always know?" I asked after clearing my throat.

"Did I always know what?" He asked, still looking at me inquisitively.

"Did you always know that I was going to be a jerk and shut you out when we were younger?" I asked him nervously, hoping he wouldn't get angry.

Percy looked away from me and at the television screen, his face pensive but his eyes told me that he was having some mental battle. Finally, he sighed in resignation before turning to face him. "Yes, I suppose I always knew that you wouldn't stay around, but it became more obvious when I grew older. You were too good for me." He said with a sad smile that pulled on my heartstrings.

"I-I was too good for you?" I asked incredulously, not able to comprehend his statement. He just nodded wearily, seeming to age before my eyes.

"But... But that's ridiculous!" I protested before Percy held up a hand to make me stop and I did, instantly.

He looked at me with an agonized expression on his face, but he still managed that same sad smile. "Annabeth, I really don't want to talk about this. Can we please just do something else?" He asked.

My face softened instantly. "Yeah, sure. What do you want to do?" I asked and he suggested watching some TV. We ended up watching some reruns of the Big Bang Theory which was pretty enjoyable, but I couldn't forget the way Percy's face had looked before. It made me want to scream because I had tainted our friendship so badly it physically hurt him when we talked about it. I tried to forget about it, but I couldn't, so when I felt drowsy again, I was almost thankful.

When I told him about it, he accompanied me upstairs and together, we both plopped into the bed with him sitting and me lying down. He scanned my room and smiled a little to himself when my feet curled up on his lap.

"Is that yours?" He asked, gesturing to my acoustic guitar tucked discretely in the corner of my room.

I nodded sleepily in affirmation, and Percy smiled at me. Without warning, he leaned over and brushed my hair out of my face and when our eyes met, I felt that same infectious spark run through my entire being that I had felt that day Percy ran off after we danced. Only this time, Percy didn't run away, he just gazed at me with those piercing sea green eyes and I was hoping to god that he would just lean in and kiss me. His face must have only been about a foot away, but it felt like an unbridgeable distance between us.

_So close, yet so far. Story of my life... _I thought wryly.

Then Percy withdrew and leaned his head back up against my bedroom wall and I attempted to drift of into sleep. Before I did, I thought about my strange string of dreams and suddenly felt embarrassed when I thought about the first one. The worst part was that it had seemed so vivid; I swear that I could feel his lips grazing my neck and that I could feel the spray of the ocean.

Then there was the second dream and I could still hear his words ringing in my head.

_You're a punishment, Annabeth Chase. _

I don't know what I did to have provoked such a response from him, but I really hoped that I didn't have the stupidity to ruin my friendship a second time around. That was most definitely a nightmare and I hoped that it would just remain that way.

Then there was the most puzzling one of all: The owl flying off with the jersey. I began to slip into a dreamless sleep before I could ponder it any further.

* * *

The soft sounds of someone strumming a guitar woke me up and I very nearly shot up in surprise, but I forced myself to lie down when I heard an angelic voice begin singing along with the chords. Discretely, I tried to determine the identity of the player and was shocked to see that it was Percy, still sitting on my bed with my feet curled on his lap, but now with a guitar in his hands. He began singing and I held my breath, straining to hear every word he sang, still pretending to be asleep.

_Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry_  
_You don't know how lovely you are_  
_I had to find you, tell you I need you_  
_Tell you I set you apart_

_Tell me your secrets, and ask me your questions_  
_Oh let's go back to the start_  
_Running in circles, coming up tails_  
_Heads on a science apart_

_Nobody said it was easy_  
_It's such a shame for us to part_  
_Nobody said it was easy_  
_No one ever said it would be this hard_  
_Oh, take me back to the start._

_I was just guessing at numbers and figures_  
_Pulling the puzzles apart_  
_Questions of science, science and progress_  
_Don't speak as loud as my heart_

_And tell me you love me, come back and haunt me  
__Oh and I rush to the start  
__Running in circles, chasing our tails  
__Coming back as we are_

_Nobody said it was easy_  
_Oh it's such a shame for us to part_  
_Nobody said it was easy_  
_No one ever said it would be so hard_  
_I'm going back to the start_

The last chord rang out and his voice began to fade away, but my mind was racing, thinking a million different thoughts at the same time.

What was he trying to say? Did he actually mean what he was singing or was he just singing? Was he serious about being sorry? If so, what is he sorry about? He hadn't really done anything wrong and he had every right to be furious with me. Did he mean what he said about needing me?

There was one thing that he did get right: this wasn't easy and we both knew that it wasn't, but going back to what we used to have was so worth all the tears and all the pain.

I just want my Seaweed Brain back.

Percy shifted and I could see him pull out his phone through my eyelashes. His face transformed into one of euphoria and he looked like he was going to jump for joy, but when he noticed my sleeping form, he gently put the guitar back and eased himself out of my bed. I wanted to cry out and tell him, just like the song, that I needed him and that he couldn't leave, but I kept pretending that I was still asleep.

He lingered in the doorway before padding back over to my bed. For a split second, I thought that he was he going to stay after all, but he just came back to readjust my blanket so that I was more securely wrapped in it. I tried not to gush over how sweet a gesture that was, and when he pressed his lips to my hair I couldn't help but whimper slightly causing him to withdraw with a look of self-loathing before practically running out the door, leaving me lying there berating myself endlessly and asking why I couldn't have just kept my stupid mouth shut for once...

The next day, as I was lounging on sofa looking like an absolute slob, stuffing my face full of cereal, the doorbell rang again. With another groan, I paused the episode of Psyche that I was watching and walked over to the door, hoping that it was Percy again. When I did open the door, I nearly died of a heart attack.

Standing there beaming at me, looking even more gorgeous than her pictures made her seem out to be, was Reyna Lopez; the girl that Percy had wrapped around her slender caramel colored finger, the only member of the female gender that had won the dating lottery and lucked out with the sweetest boy on the planet, and the girl that I knew nothing about yet hated with a fiery passion.

Oh, crap.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! Before I talk about the chapter, I just want to thank you all for helping me pass the 500 review mark and that I appreciate each and everyone of your reviews. Thanks! You guys are awesome!**

**Revenge of the Cliffhanger! Haha, but in all honesty, it's just to keep you all interested. If you didn't catch on, at the end only Reyna was there, not Percy. What could she possible want? Muhahaha! That's for me to know and for you to find out next chapter. The song in the chapter was "The Scientist" by Coldplay and you got to admit that it was pretty perfect for this story. I am so proud of myself, but I digress. Question: Should I write a Reyna fluff chapter of their adventures in New York or should I just keep going with the plot? Your call. If you liked the chapter than feel free to pick from one of the following options:**

**A. Follow**  
**B. Favorite**  
**C. Review**  
**D. All of the above**

Oh! Interesting side note that you may or may not care about, a while ago I applied for a summer program that called the Telluride Association summer program or TASP for short. Basically, you write a bunch of essays and turn them in to the association which then carefully reviews your work and then admits 64 applicants out of thousands. The odds aren't in my favor (Hunger Games reference) but the cool thing is that if you get accepted, you get to go to either Cornell or the University of Michigan to do a bunch of really awesome nerdy stuff. Honestly, I don't think that I will make it in, but I did it for the experience so no harm done if I don't make it. I'll let you know about my acceptance status come March which is when I think they announce the results. If you're curious, I'll let you read one of my essays and you can see how I write academically which is like a _gajillion_ times better than how I write fiction.


	21. Turn of the Tide

**Turn of the Tide**

_Only know you love him when you let him go - Passengers_

**Annabeth's POV:**

Oh, crap.

Reyna flashed me an amazing smile and gave me a small wave. "Hi, Annabeth right?" she asked and I nodded because I didn't trust my voice at that moment.

Then I became hyperaware of the fact that I looked like a steamroller ran over me, and the fact that she looked like goddess. I tried to hide myself behind the door so that only my face was visible.

She gave me a curious expression and craned her head forward to try to see me better which only made me shrink back further. Then she just settled for standing where she was, but now she undoubtedly thought that I was strange. Usually, I wouldn't have cared about what I looked like, but I had no intention of looking inferior in front of Percy's girlfriend. The last thing that I needed was for to think that I was disgusting on top of making Percy's life a living hell.

"Oh, I forgot my manners. I am Reyna Lopez, Percy's girlfriend, and I know this is kind of strange, but I was wondering if you would take a walk with me?" she asked politely.

Admiral Ackbar's voice rang out in my head: _IT'S A TRAP!_

I merely nodded in response. "Can you give me five minutes to go get dressed?" I asked and she nodded.

With that, I closed the door and ran upstairs as fast as I could. The entire time I was thinking, _Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! What in the world is she doing here?! She's supposed to be in Chicago! _

When I stumbled into my room, I closed the door and took huge heaving breaths as I attempted to calm myself. I took a lightning quick shower and got dressed as quickly as I could, but I still made myself as presentable as possible. Once I looked alright, I scrambled downstairs, grabbed a jacket, and walked out to meet Reyna.

She was sitting on the steps leading to my house, seemingly unperturbed by the cold. I noticed that she wore a steely, calm expression on her face that was even more rigid than my own. She seemed like she was guarding herself from some imminent attack.

Once she noticed me, she stood up and we began to walk in some unknown direction. A thousand questions swam inside my brain, but I held my tongue, waiting for her to speak and state her purpose first.

"So, tell me about yourself, Annabeth," she asked and I was caught off guard. I had no idea what her angle was through all this.

"Well, I go to high school here in New York, same school as Percy. I am a part of a bunch of clubs that would bore you if I listed them all. I do well at school, and my favorite class is probably math even though the teacher is dreadful. I want to be an architect when I grow up. Uh, I guess that's me in a nutshell." I said.

"Architect, huh? That's pretty unique," she remarked.

"I guess." I offered.

"Well, I'll just cut to the chase, no pun intended, if that's alright with you," she said suddenly and I smiled slightly.

I nodded for her to continue and then came the words that I was expecting the entire time.

"I wanted to talk with you about Percy."

Suddenly, swallowing became an incredibly difficult task and when I finally did, I felt like I was swallowing a boulder. My finger instinctively went to twirl my hair.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked nervously.

Reyna turned to me and stared me straight in the eyes with her piercing black eyes. "I am worried about him, Annabeth."

My brow furrowed in confusion. "What would you be worried about?" I asked her.

She sighed and sat down on a bench that wasn't covered in snow. "Has he been dating yet?" Reyna asked, and my eyes widened in surprise.

"No! He's been perfectly faithful to you. It's really sweet really - he won't even so much as look at another girl." I said, getting prepared to fight tooth and nail for Percy's honor.

Reyna sighed again and brought a hand to her forehead. "That's what I thought and that's also the problem," she remarked and by this point, I had no clue what was going on.

"So let me get this straight: you are upset that your boyfriend is being faithful to you and _not_ dating another girl?" I asked incredulously and she shook her head.

"No, you misunderstand. We broke up before he left and I explicitly told him that I couldn't keep him all to myself, but he wouldn't listen. I told him to move on and date other people, but it's pretty evident that he didn't heed my words." Reyna said, and I was struck by her selflessness.

"Well, you should be happy that he loves you so much that he can't bear to be with someone else." I said, trying my best not to sound bitter.

Reyna smiled wistfully and looked at a tree in the distance, her breath forming miniature clouds every time she exhaled. "Believe me, I am more than happy with that boy. I just wish that sometimes, he took some time to make himself happy instead of sacrificing all his desires for other people, namely me," she explained, and I smiled despite myself because I knew exactly what she meant.

"Yeah, that's Percy for you. However, if my many years of friendship with him have taught me anything, it's that he is happiest when he sacrifices something for those that he loves." I said softly, my voice painted with melancholy.

She nodded to herself and tilted her head to see me better. "So how are things going between you and Percy?" Reyna inquired and I laughed humorlessly.

When she continued looking at me expectantly, I spoke. "Well, things are kind of rocky, mostly because he still hates my guts and because I am still a self-centered airhead that can't really seem to do anything right." I confessed bitterly. For some reason, being with Reyna removed my filter and I felt like I could talk freely because we were so alike.

Reyna interjected, "He doesn't hate you, Annabeth. He's never hated you, even when he lived in Chicago. But you have to realize that you didn't just hurt him - you broke him," she said solemnly, and tears pooled in my eyes. I knew by the tone of her voice that she wasn't saying this just to make me feel like trash, but rather just to be honest.

"You know, when he was in Chicago, no matter what I did to cheer him up, there would always be this look in his eyes that I couldn't get rid of. For the longest time, I couldn't figure out just quite what it was. At first, I just assumed that he was sad or something, but then when he told me everything that happened, I knew that that look was the distinctive type of pain that only comes with betrayal." Reyna continued and my heart sank further with every word she spoke.

"I won't lie to you and don't ever tell Percy this, but I hated you and Luke so much for doing that to him. I knew that in my heart, the both of you would always be the demons that broke the boy that I loved beyond repair. However, I put on a front of forgiveness and understanding for him because I knew that he still felt something for you, despite all that shit you put him through and even though I didn't understand that, I respected him for it," she said in a steely tone.

Reyna laughed humorlessly and helplessly. "You have no idea how frustrating it was when everything that I did didn't seem to work. All I wanted was to steal away the pain, but he was too much of a hero to let me. He has this grandiose notion that he has to shoulder his problems alone, and he never truly let me share his burdens with him even though he did the same for me on countless occasions." Reyna said, her voice shining with admiration, yet heavy with guilt.

At this point, my heart was tearing itself in two and I couldn't say anything other than process what she was telling me. There was a point to all of this, I just didn't know what it was yet. I knew that she wasn't saying this just to hurt me or make me feel guilty. She was just honestly telling me what had happened during his time in Chicago.

"Percy is probably the greatest guy that I know, and I am pretty sure that you agree with me, Annabeth. I know that it's hypocritical for me to ask him to move on when I haven't moved on myself. But you know just as well as I do that you can't _just_ move on from Percy Jackson. He fills this empty space in your heart that you never knew that you had until he leaves, and then your entire world just seems to crumble and shatter into a million different pieces," she rambled and I found myself grinning inanely because she was _so_ right.

Reyna pressed her back against the bench and tilted her head up to look at the sky and I studied her. She was regal, proud, and disciplined; all characteristics that I saw in myself. In a way, Reyna was a mirror image of me, but completely opposite in appearance. She was like a parallel universe of what could have happened between me and Percy. She was me, and I was her. The difference being the mistakes that I had made and the lack thereof on her end.

She spoke suddenly, startling me and jolting me out of my musings. "We really lucked out didn't we?" Reyna asked, a small smile gracing her features as she turned to look at me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Her smile widened and her black eyes twinkled. "We both got close to Percy. That's pretty amazing if you think about it," she explained.

I genuinely smiled at her too. "Yeah, we did luck out. I don't know what I did to deserve something like that." I confessed and Reyna laughed.

"Yeah, I ask myself that question every single day," she said wistfully.

Then her expression grew mournful. "I realized a while ago that I didn't. I didn't really deserve him, and I feel like he got the short end of the stick when he got stuck with me as his girlfriend." Reyna whispered softly.

"Hey, don't think that. If Percy chose you, then you have to be something special and even though I don't know you very well, I can see that you are a good person. Anyone with eyes can see that he loves you-" I started placatingly before she cut me off.

"Yeah, but why?"

I blinked a few times in rapid succession. "Well, I don't know you well enough to say, but don't demean yourself. You're Percy Jackson's girlfriend, hold your head up high and walk with pride. After all, you're the luckiest out of the whole lot of us." I said honestly, and this time, I didn't sound bitter when I spoke. At that moment, I realized that I was glad that Percy found someone like Reyna and even though I wished that I could be her, I didn't hate her anymore because there was honestly nothing to hate.

Reyna cocked her head towards me and looked at me with a curious expression in her eyes. "You're a good friend, Annabeth. I can see why Percy likes you so much," she said softly and my heart fluttered.

"You said 'likes' not 'liked'. Does that mean that he still likes me?" I asked nervously and she scoffed.

"Obviously. Geez Annabeth, I didn't think you were as clueless as he is. He adores you, Annabeth, and you'll always hold a special place in his heart because you were there first. It's up to you now to repair what's been broken because that is your task. I tried to relieve you of it and it didn't work at all and that's because it was never mine to begin with. It's on you to make things right again." Reyna said honestly and I nodded with grim determination, and hope sprung in my stomach.

Then a hard look came over her face and her midnight black eyes bored into mine, piercing in a manner eerily similar to Percy's eyes. "Promise me one thing." Reyna proclaimed, and I looked at her guardedly.

"Promise me that you won't try to get him to fall in love with you." Reyna stated clearly, and I furrowed my brow.

"What do you mean? Am I not good enough for him?" I demanded, suddenly feeling angry.

Reyna looked at me unwaveringly. "No, you're not," she said flatly and I recoiled.

"You're not good enough for him and neither was I, but I already made my sacrifice because I realized that. I gave him up so that he could be with someone that truly did deserve him, and it's time for you to do the same." Reyna said determinedly and I felt my anger wane because it was misguided and she was right.

"Annabeth, do you love him?" She asked suddenly and I looked at her in surprise.

_Did I really love Percy? _

I knew the answer. I always knew the answer, and it was stupid me to think about it. The answer was yes; unequivocally and resoundingly, yes.

"Yes." I breathed and Reyna nodded like she knew all along.

"Then if you truly love him Annabeth, you'll know when to let go." Reyna said simply, but her words struck a chord within me.

She spoke wistfully, looking off into the distance again. "Trust me when I say that it is the hardest thing that you will ever do in your life, but it needs to be done. Percy's given us so much - too much in fact. It's time for us to give back. We can both love him, there's no way we can't, but we can't fall in love with him. We can't do that to him, not after all that he's done for us."

I found myself nodding and she turned to face me again. "We are not abandoning him; I want to make that clear. We'll be there for him just like he's always been there for us, but we won't tie him down to us. He deserves better, Annabeth." Reyna said softly, and yet again, I was struck by her selflessness.

Everything she just said sounded like some cheesy romantic comedy, but it was so applicable and true in this case. I don't know why Reyna thought that she wasn't good enough for Percy, but I sure as hell knew that I was definitely not good enough for him.

Percy wasn't perfect, but he was as goddamn close as anyone was ever going to get. Reyna was right: It was time to give back. Things couldn't just be the Annabeth show anymore. That's what had screwed things up between us in the first place; I was too self-absorbed to notice that I was slowly killing my best friend. This time, I wouldn't make the same mistake. I had to let go of this childish fantasy that I held in my heart that if I could just fix things that Percy would come running back to me and that we'd go off riding into the sunset. I had to - for his sake.

"I know that you probably won't be able to resist, Lord knows that I couldn't, but you have to try. You might even succeed in getting him to fall for you, he always did give himself away too easily to people he cared about, but know this: If you ever hurt him again, I will personally hunt you down." Reyna said menacingly, but I couldn't help but smile at her words.

"If I hurt him again, you have my permission to kill me." I joked, and she laughed brightly but then turned serious again.

"Promise me, Annabeth," she repeated, looking at me in earnest.

I didn't even hesitate when the words flew out of my mouth, "I promise."

* * *

**Song Choice: "Let Her Go" by Passenger**

**A/N: Hello everyone! First off, thanks for all the reviews last chapter! I actually spent two hours on Friday responding to all of them, but some new ones came in so I'll respond to those too. Enough with the boring stuff; this is a major turning point in the story, but next chapter will really blow your socks off, so I can't wait. Annabeth finally realizes that she has to sacrifice her feelings because she doesn't deserve him, but how will Percy take this development? All your questions will be answered if you continue reading! I hope you didn't think Reyna was a jerk. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and if you did, please: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**


	22. Author Note - PLEASE READ

**Author Note**

**Hello everyone! I know that you are not going to be happy about this at all since you probably thought that this was an update, but hear me out. **

I am stuck making a big decision that I am not entirely sure that I want to make, so I am not going to make it. Instead, I am going to give you, the reader, the power to choose my course of action.

**Here's my question: Do you want Percy to end up with Reyna or Annabeth?**

I know that most of you all will reflexively say, "Annabeth, of course!" purely because of the fact that you cannot imagine Percy being with anyone else. However, I want you to take a moment and really ask yourself: Does Annabeth deserve Percy more than Reyna?

Be honest and think hard about that because I know your first impulse will be to dismiss Reyna altogether, but look at all that she has done for him. I am not going to take her side or anything, but I just want to make sure that you, as the reader, approach this problem with an open mind.

Please review and let me know what your thoughts are on the matter, and once I get a good idea about how I should proceed, then I will delete this note and replace it with the new chapter. Bear in mind that it will take me a while to write the chapter to make it special.

This is probably the biggest turning point in the story because it's all on Percy to see how he reacts to Reyna's admission of her insecurities and her discussion with Annabeth. Basically, will he fight for her to stay or will he assuage her fears and abide by her wishes to move on?

Again, please keep an open mind and try to think critically about the situation at hand. Remember, it's not always about choosing what is easy, it's about choosing what is right. And on that note, I bid you goodbye!


	23. Violent, Sweet, Perfect Words

**Violent, Sweet, Perfect Words**

**Reyna's POV:**

_L is for the way you look at me_  
_O is for the only one I see_  
_V is very very, extra ordinary_  
_E is even more than anyone that you adore_  
_And love is all that I can give to you_

Percy outstretched his hand and I spun gracefully away from him only to be drawn back into his warm arms. Instead of resuming our dance, he just held my body flush against his own and swayed back and forth, keeping me in his embrace. The smile on my face couldn't possibly get any bigger, and I could feel his grin against the back of neck. He swooped in a placed a quick peck on my cheek causing me to blush.

_Love is all that I can give to you  
Love is more than just a game for two  
Two in love can make it,  
Take my heart, but please don't break it  
Love was made for me and you_

The grin slid off my face in a hurry at those words. Would my conversation with Annabeth break his heart? How would he respond to the fact that I didn't think that I was good enough for him? I didn't want to break his heart - that was definitely not my intention. However, I do want him to see the voice of the reason so that he could finally free himself from me to be happy.

"Hey what's wrong?" Percy murmured close by my ear, and I shivered, but it was pleasant.

"How do you know something is wrong?" I challenged, and he spun me around so that I could see him grinning down at me.

Percy tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear before saying, "You're biting your lip. I know you well enough to know that that's your tell for when something is upsetting you."

A small smile made its way across my face at his words. I couldn't believe that he still remembered - after all that time...

"So?" he prodded, nudging my side playfully causing me to giggle in a most un-Reyna like fashion.

He beamed down at me, and he had good reason to - only he could make me giggle. Percy treated those moments like personal victories, which just made me smile and shake my head at his antics.

The boy had simple tastes, that's for sure. It's no wonder he was fine sticking with plain old me...

I tried to make my voice as convincing as possible. "It's nothing - I'll tell you after dinner is over."

"'Kay," he murmured before Nat King Cole faded out and a new song began to play with us resuming our dancing.

We were at some fancy five star New York Restaurant, courtesy of Percy, my boyfriend. Boyfriend. God, I don't know if that thrill I get whenever I think that thought will ever die down, but I digress. So we were at a restaurant enjoying an extremely delicious meal and were now dancing on the elegant floor provided. They only played cheesy romantic songs, but I didn't mind too much - some of them were actually pretty good. Don't tell Percy I said that.

When we had finally tired out, Percy attempted to order dessert, but I didn't let him because I had a surprise at home for him. Grudgingly, he asked for the check, all the while grumbling about women and dessert shortage or something along those lines. He wouldn't let me pay as usual. Oh, good to know that he was still his chauvinistic self, but secretly, I liked that about him. Still, don't tell him I said that.

"Shall we _Mademoiselle_?" Percy asked formally in a fake french accent, bowing and extending his hand to me.

"Don't mind if I do, _Monsieur_." I replied, playing along as I took his hand daintily before locking arms.

Both our faces erupted into enormous smiles for a split second before we resumed our indifferent, formal facade. Percy and I waltzed out of the fine dining establishment, and made way to our "horse and carriage". Soon, we were both buckled in and drove back to his house. He was finally old enough to drive me now, and I gave him a hard time about it by teasing him endlessly.

As we drove, I reminisced on how magical the break had been so far. We had spent every day together and for the first few days, every major landmark in New York was visited and cheesy tourist photos were taken. We went to the top of the Empire State Building, saw the Statue of Liberty, went ice skating at the Rockefeller Center, and more. For New Year's Eve, we actually got to see the ball drop and kissed when the new year finally arrived.

All in all, everything was great, but I wanted to be sure to tell Percy what I told Annabeth since he deserved to know. I was certain that he didn't understand or that I hadn't properly explained what I told him before he left.

When we arrived at his house, he and I walked in hand in hand. Sally caught sight of us and smiled inanely, which made me feel self-conscious.

"Mom! Stop with the weird smiling! You're scaring her!" Percy scolded, and his mom raised her hands in surrender.

"Sorry honey, I just can't help it - you two look adorable. I'll get out of your hair in a moment. Have a fun night you two, but not _too_ much fun," Sally warned before fleeing upstairs.

"Mom!"

"Ms. Jackson!"

Both of us turned towards each other in embarrassment. Percy rubbed the back of his neck nervously and looked downcast, whereas I just appeared flushed.

"Sorry about my mom. She knows no bounds, crazy woman," Percy grumbled, but I waived it off.

"Don't worry about it. It's a mother's duty to embarrass her children." I said, and he shook his head.

"I wish the ground would just open up and swallow me whole rather than have her joke about _that_," he muttered and I laughed.

"Oh, lighten up! Besides, I have a surprise for you. Wait here." I instructed before scurrying off into the kitchen.

I returned a short while later with a bowl covered in aluminum foil and two spoons. Percy looked at me curiously, one eye brow raised inquisitively. With flourish, I tore off the aluminum and thrust it into his face.

"Ta-da!" I said, and his expression formed to disbelief.

He licked his lips nervously before shooting me a glance. "Is that... Is that what I think it is?" he whispered.

"Oh, you better bet it is." I whispered conspiratorially.

"Dear god, I love you, woman," he responded, shaking his head in disbelief and I giggled again.

A large grin crossed his face as he dug into the creme broulee, and not just any creme broulee, the creme broulee from our favorite little bistro in Chicago. I had brought some back for him. We each took a spoon and began to savor the creamy custardy goodness.

"How could you keep this from me for so long?" Percy demanded incredulously in between bites.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Well, I am just glad you brought some," he confided good naturedly.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Well, they do say that the easiest way into a man's heart is through his stomach."

"Oh, Ms. Lopez, your methods are shrewd, yet so sinfully effective," Percy muttered and I grinned at him.

"Anything for you, dearest." I said cheekily and he raised an eyebrow.

"Dearest? Does this mean I can call you darling?" he asked.

"No." I responded instantly.

"How about honey?"

"No."

"Sugar plum?"

"Absolutely not."

"Reynikins?"

"No way."

"Lady of my heart?"

"No, now stop!" I hissed and he held his palms in surrender, and I resumed eating.

He looked at me for a second before his eyes lit up, and I could practically see the light bulb go off in his head. "I got it! How about: _mi amor_?" he said with a cheeky grin, wiggling his eyebrows comically.

I shook my head vehemently and he pouted adorably. "That is such a double standard!"

"Yeah, well get used to it. That's what you get for never letting me pay." I retorted and he looked at me wearily.

"Fine, fine, I concede," he said, and I gave him a smug smile.

Percy did the mature thing and stuck his tongue out at me, so I punched his shoulder lightly. He rubbed it with a smile, and finished shoveling the rest of the creme broulee into his greedy mouth. Before I could protest, he led me outside and walked out onto his drive way.

"Dance with me," he said breathlessly, his face flush with excitement.

"Dance? Here? There's no music." I retorted, not entirely sure why I was protesting.

His trademark lopsided grin split across his face and my heart fluttered pleasantly. "Has that ever stopped us before?" Percy asked, and I grinned.

"You know? I don't think it has." I said, taking his hand in mine.

We began to dance in the moonlight, on his driveway, without any music, but neither of us cared in the slightest. As long as the two of us were together, come hell or high water, we would always be happy. Percy began to hum under his breath to a familiar tune, but I couldn't quite place it until he began to sing out loud.

_If you're not the one, then why does my soul feel glad today?  
If you're not the one, then why does my hand fit yours this way?  
If you are not mine, then why does your heart return my call?  
If you are not mine, would I have the strength to stand at all?_

He had the voice of an angel, but the lyrics made the breath hitch in my throat. The back of my eyes burned painfully. How could he possibly have known what I was thinking about? Why did he always have to say the right thing at the right time? Why was he so sweet to me?

Percy continued singing and twirled me about his hand, and I was glad for the movement because otherwise he might have noticed my distress.

_I never know what the future brings  
But I know you're here with me now  
We'll make it through and I hope  
You are the one I share my life with_

I don't know how, but his song seemed to assuage all of my unspoken fears. All of my insecurities about not being good enough seemed to dull and ebb away, if only for a moment, but the reprieve was cathartic.

_I don't wanna run away but I can't take it, I don't understand  
If I'm not made for you, then why does my heart tell me that I am?  
Is there anyway that I can stay in your arms?_

_Oh, Percy... He knows. _I thought sadly to myself.

I began to cry. I was so sick of being strong, putting on a brave face for a world that seemed to revel in its ability to bring me to my knees. It was all a show that taxed me too much, and this was the breaking point. My confidence was a sham that masked my underlying insecurities about everything, and Percy was always my greatest insecurity.

The first time we met, I saw that same insecurity staring back at me when I looked into his eyes. At the time, I thought he was weak for visibly showing how fragile he was, but I now realize that he had good reason and that he was better for it.

"Hey, don't cry." Percy said softly, his voice laced with concern.

His hand tapped liltingly on my chin, forcing me to look up at him through my blurry vision. The sea green in his eyes seemed to grow even more vibrant in the darkness, and now they glowed with sympathy and concern.

"I'm sorry." I sputtered, but he shook his head.

"Don't be. Please, tell me what's wrong," he said.

I took a deep calming breath, preparing myself for what I needed to say, for what I had held in reserve all this time.

_Here goes nothing. _I thought.

"Percy, you need to start dating again." I said firmly, happy that my voice didn't quiver.

He wore a bemused expression and stared down at me. "What're you talking about?"

I crossed my arms over my chest after wiping my eyes dry and said, "I know that you haven't dated anyone since you've been back, and I don't want you to feel some sort of obligation to me if that's what's preventing you."

"I'm not sure I understand - why are you telling me this?" he asked, his eyes searching my face for answers.

My lip quivered and I submitted. "I can't keep you to myself anymore. You need to go out and move on."

Percy's expression became colder and a strange fire burned in his eyes. "Reyna, what is this really about?" he asked cautiously.

I swallowed before responding. "I am not good enough for you Percy." I said, and he attempted to speak, but I cut him off.

"I get that you have sacrificed for me - I understand that and I am so grateful. However, you need to take some time to do something for yourself. You know, make yourself happy for a change. You don't need to give me anything more - I have enough." I said, and waited for him to speak.

He regarded me impassively, his eyes still burning with a strange flame that I couldn't decipher.

Finally, he broke the silence. "You think that you weren't good enough? That you were some sort of punishment for me?" he asked, his voice strained.

"Percy, I _am_ not good enough. Look at me, and look at you; you are so kind, funny, and handsome. You always never let me feel down about anything, even when I was pining after Jason and it hurt you. You never let anything deter you from keeping me happy, even if I was the one making you sad. All that I've done is just take and take from you without giving anything back." I reasoned, explaining my thoughts.

Percy shut his eyes tightly for a moment and drew in a deep breath as I stood nervously, waiting for his response. When his eyes opened, they were softer when they looked at me, but that strange fire was still there.

"How can you say that you didn't give me anything, Reyna? You gave me my life back - you helped me trust and love again. I became so much more confident and happier when I was with you," he said earnestly, and I couldn't shake the honesty of his words.

He took my hands in his own. "Oh Reyna, never tell yourself that you don't deserve anything or anyone. You are the most wonderful person that I've met and you deserve all the good in the world. I saw that and I tried my hardest to give you all I could - I gave you my heart."

"But I didn't deserve that, Percy! Honestly, how could you do so much for me? Why did you do so much for me?" I protested.

"Because you are amazing, and you are the only person that _can't_ seem to see that! Everyone else could see; even Piper confessed to admiring you. You're so strong, independent, smart, funny, beautiful - do you want me to go on? Because I can," he exploded, and my eyes prickled again.

Percy stepped back in frustration and ran a hand through his messy hair in exasperation. "Can't you see that it's not about deserving, Reyna? Everyone deserves love, and it's not at all your decision to say that you are unworthy of someone else. I deemed you worthy, and I hope that you consider me worthy as well. That's how love works! Two people finding something worthwhile in each other - that's all there is to it. Everything else doesn't matter," he said passionately, pacing back in forth restlessly, and my heart welled up for the boy in front of me.

"If this is why you broke up with me when I was leaving, then I am furious right now. You said that you couldn't keep me forever, and even if that's true, I want to be yours forever. Screw practicality. I only have one question for you," Percy said, stopping in front of me.

"What?" I croaked.

"Do you see something worthwhile in me?" he asked evenly, but fear of rejection glowed in his eyes.

"Oh, Percy, everything about you is worthwhile, but-" I began, but he cut me off.

"I see everything worthwhile in you, Reyna. That's all there is to it," he said firmly, but I stepped away.

"But it's not! It's not that simple, Percy! Can't you see that?" I raged.

A look of hurt passed through his eyes. "Why is it that only I seem to be intent on fighting for this relationship to work? All you've done is nitpick to find excuses for ways that it won't, and it is _killing_ me on the inside," he said, his voice laden with pain.

"Percy-" I began, but he spoke over me.

"Look, if you don't like me or don't want this between us, just tell me. Because honestly, I feel like you're leading me on at the moment," he whispered quietly and I felt like screaming.

"Goddammit Percy, I _want_ this to work, but if I fight for you, I'll just end up hurting you somehow. I am not as pure or as giving as you are and one day, I'll screw up like Annabeth did and I will never be able to live with myself." I screamed, finally placing my trump card.

Stepping back, Percy looked like he had been struck across the face. "Is that what this is all about? You worried that you're like Annabeth?" he asked, ashen faced.

"Yes, that's what this is all about! I've seen how you were towards her in Chicago, Percy. She broke you - she broke you beyond repair, and do you know how hyperaware I was that I could do the same thing? Do you know how easily I could mess up and lose you forever? I'd rather keep you at a distance and remain friends than damage something between us that can never be rebuilt. I couldn't live with myself if you hated me, Percy." I said earnestly, and he gaped at me.

For a few seconds, he just stared in stupefaction at me, trying to ponder a response. His hand ran through his hair again and his eyes were twice as large as they were supposed to be.

"Sweet jesus, Rey-Reyna, you are not nor ever will be Annabeth. Don't even think like that. You won't hurt me like the way she did-" he began, but I cut him off.

"You can't be sure, and this relationship is too precious for me to risk. Percy, you haven't healed yet. I can see that you're still just as broken. You're definitely better than you used to be, but I can see how much of a struggle this is for you. You probably feel torn inside everyday when you see Annabeth. You probably feel like she's the worst thing that happened to you, but you still just want to drop anything and forgive her. I bet these last few months have been agonizing for you. I can see that, and knowing that that's the effect that she had on you, your childhood friend, what do you think will happen to you when I, your girlfriend, screw something up?" I challenged, and judging by his pallor, I knew that I was right about him.

"Percy, I love you, and that's why I have to let you go. Think about how hard this is for me; every fiber in my body is screaming at me to just hold you tight and never let go, but I know that if I do that, I'll just scar you. I don't want the scars that I leave behind to be what you see when you think of me. I couldn't bear that." I said passionately.

"Can't you see that what you're doing right now, by letting me go, is scarring me?" he whispered, and my heart sank.

"I don't mean to scar you, but I am going to have to go with the lesser of two evils here." I said weakly, a half hearted smile playing on my lips.

Percy shook his head in frustration. "So is that it? Are we through now?" he asked, his voice taut and pain ridden.

"We'll never be through. Don't think that for a second. However now, you need to find that special girl that truly deserves your love and won't ever hurt you. I know what you're thinking, but that girl is not me. I can't bear that kind of responsibility, and it sounds like I am being a quitter, but I am fighting my hardest by leaving. Even if that doesn't make sense to you now, one day you'll see." I said lightly, but the quiver in my voice betrayed the agony I was feeling.

For a while, he just stood there, his face impassive as he stared back at me, processing everything that I had told him. It was just then that it began to snow, and the tiny snowflakes began to make their gentle descent to earth. Each one of them was unique, fragile, and beautiful, just like my Percy.

He took a long shuddery breath before he spoke. "Okay. Okay, I think that I understand now. It's difficult from me to accept this and frankly, I don't think that I will for a while, but I get it. You're scared about pulling an Annabeth on me, and that's understandable, but I know that you would never hurt me intentionally," he said firmly.

I smiled at him painfully. "The scary thing was Perce: Annabeth didn't mean to hurt you intentionally either. It was an accident, and look at where the both of you are now. That's what terrifies me. I would never hurt you purposefully, but there is always the chance I do accidentally." I confessed, and he looked shocked.

"Can you forgive Percy? It's not about what she did to you. Everyone can see that she was wrong, but can you push past all of that? Can you forgive?" I asked, and he stared blankly back at me.

"Until you can answer that question, you will never be whole again. It's harsh, but it's the truth. The day you realize that not everything was her fault, and the day you can see past what _was_ her fault is the day that you will finally be at peace with yourself and with her. I want you to promise me that you'll try, and I know the gravity of my request, but you have to promise." I said, but he remained silent.

The silence persisted, so I couldn't resist adding, "Please, for me. I can't see you this hurt anymore. It's making me die on the inside. Promise." I whispered and his pupils dilated.

After a long silence, he finally responded. "Okay, I will, but only for you," he said weakly and I grinned at him before kissing him.

When we detached, he looked down at me in concern. "What about you? How are you going to hold up?" he asked.

I shook my head, my smile still persisting. "I dealt with the worst of it right after you left. I just needed to make sure clear the air once and for all with you. That was the whole purpose of this trip - to say goodbye for good." I said lightly, caressing his face with my hand.

"Besides, I am strong, independent Latina woman, and I don't need no man!" I said firmly and he laughed, which made my heart soar.

Percy touched his forehead against mine. "Of course you are - you are the strongest person I know. No one would have the courage or selflessness to do what you did here, and even though I don't like it, I can see the bigger picture here. You are extraordinary," he murmured before kissing me sweetly once again.

I giggled after we broke apart. "Oh, Mr. Jackson, you're making me blush." I said and he laughed.

"Only the best for you Ms. Lopez," Percy said, and I blushed.

His arms wrapped around me in a big hug, and I couldn't help but feel that maybe, this was the last time that I might feel this way, but oddly enough, I was alright with that.

"I'll miss you, Reyna," Percy said quietly.

"Me too, you knucklehead." I whispered, and he grinned down at me.

This time, I was the one that came in and initiated the kiss. It was just as sweet, innocent, and amazing as our first one had been. My mind turned to mush and for a few perfect seconds, the world made sense, and all the chaos became neat and orderly. In Percy's arms, kissing his lips, everything was right with the world.

I would miss feeling that way.

When we finally did break away, there was a sense of finality that hung heavy in the air, and when I looked up at the boy that had stolen my heart away, I forced myself to memorize everything about this moment. I memorized the sight of the snow falling down from the sky. I memorized the feel of Percy's arms against me. Most of all, I memorized Percy in all of his nuances and mannerisms, in all of his loves and hates, and in all his imperfect perfection.

With a smile, I said, "Who knows Perce, maybe sometimes goodbye is a second chance."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, there were more than THREE HUNDRED reviews for the Author Note, and the story passed a thousand reviews. Thank you all so much, from the bottom of my heart. I am just in awe. ****After reading what everyone had to say and how passionate you all were, it really brought tears in my eyes. Call me emotional, but if you remember from the beginning of my story, my mission was to make my readers feel emotionally invested, and reading all your analysis and reasoning behind the directions the plot should take just really moved me. ****The reviews brought me a sense of clarity that I didn't have before, and reaffirmed what I had in mind. I actually had this chapter written out before I posted the Author Note, I just wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing or not though.**

**With that being said, I have decided on the direction I want this take. I can't explain my rationale because it would just take too long, and I realize that many of you will really be angry with me, but that was kind of inevitable. If you feel the need to give up on the story, I thank you for sticking with me so far and you will be sorely missed.**

******If you haven't guessed, Reyna's tale ends here and while she isn't gone, this was the last big appearance on her end. **For all you Reyna supporters, I sincerely apologize and you don't know how much I had to struggle with this. Please know that my decision wasn't shallowly based off of Percy and Annabeth being "meant for each other". I disagree with that notion vehemently, but that's a story for another time. The main reason is that the story wouldn't have a point if Percy just stayed with Reyna, but that is not to say that he gets with Annabeth in the end either. The good news is that I will definitely be writing a new story that's Percy and Reyna through and through after this story concludes, so I hope that makes up for things. 

**I read every review and considered my options carefully, so know that my decision is the product of intensive thought and analysis. However, I was _appalled_ by how many of you all seemed to misunderstand my intentions and the story. For starters, Reyna never "gave up" on Percy, and I hope this chapter explains her rationale better, and personally, I can see her side. **

**Second, this is Fanfiction, everything is tentative - no couple or pairing is set in stone. Believe it or not, Percy can be in a relationship with someone other than Annabeth and be happy about it. **

**Finally, for all of you ragging on me about hating Annabeth, read my profile. My most favorite character in the series is Annabeth by far, and you can read the latest chapter of Wolf's Law's author note to understand why she seems to be the bad guy. It's not because I hate her - it's unfortunately much much deeper than that. For those of you that are lazy, it stems from a psychological craving on my end that I won't explain here.**

******For Annabeth supporters, know that this doesn't at all mean that she and Percy will be romantically involved. The title of my story promises a second chance, and that means forgiveness, not the potentiality for being a couple. That is not to say that they won't get together at the end of the story, but it means you shouldn't feel that anything is set in stone. Hate me if you want.**

**Sigh. Unfortunately, one of the worst thing about fanfiction is that stories are posted one chapter at a time, so if I decide to drastically change the story, I can't do that anymore. **

**Sorry for making this note so long, but considering the circumstances, I had a lot to say. Once again, I am sorry if I have lost you as a reader, but I will stand by my decision. **


	24. Promises to Keep

**Promises to Keep**

**Percy's POV:**

Let me go on record and issue an official statement: break-ups suck. Like, they literally suck - they suck out everything inside you that could have ever made you feel happy and leave nothing but emptiness inside. Nights and days no longer held meaning, colors faded to the background, leaving only a monotone gray, people suddenly became insufferable, and everything seemed to anger me in some way or another. The worst part was that school started the Monday after the break up, so I had to go endure an entire week of stupid high school bullshit after my heart was shattered into a million different pieces.

Annabeth seemed to wisely hold herself at arm's length from me, which was a good thing because I didn't want to vent my frustration out on her. However, it quickly became annoying because it became evident that she was avoiding me for some unknown reason. I mean, I get that I am not a ball of sunshine post-break up, but it would have been kind of nice to have the support of my only friend instead of being forced to wallow in depression alone. Once I regain the capacity to feel emotions, I am sure that I will be pissed at her.

Grover and Nico still seem to be estranged from me, but it's also my fault for not trying to resume contact with them. Frankly, I am just sick of everything and everyone. It feels like the entire world is out to get me down and knock me to my knees just to remind me who's boss. Everytime I think that my life is going well, life seems to enjoy telling me, "Haha, nope!" It's maddening.

The only good thing to come out of this is the fact that my colossi have taken an extended vacation. Now something else lives inside my mind. Picture a black lake, so opaque you can't see anything through it. Now picture a gigantic sea serpent that devours every happy emotion, every happy memory that I think of. That's a pretty accurate description of what my state of mind is.

Forward to now - three weeks post-Reyna - I had to go to some party at the abandoned subway tunnel because my friends forced me to. Apparently, it's "for my own good" because I've been "kind of a bummer lately". At least they seemed to care about me.

As always, the sound of thumping bass reached my ears long before I actually made it to the stairs. With every step I took, the volume seemed to swell painfully, and by the time I hit the bottom stair, I had to cup my ears to cope. The sight was just as crazy as the last party was, with some minor changes. The goat man had a horse mask on and instead of whipped cream, he had sprayable cheese - same old, same old.

I braced myself for the sudden onslaught of girls, and breathed in deeply. Ever since I had decided to be a little more nicer to everyone, the female population at Goode took that as a sign that I was suddenly available and interested. They left me alone lately only because my frigid persona had resurfaced after the break up. Someone tapped me on my shoulder, and I whirled around to politely tell them to go away when I saw Thalia grinning at me.

"Let's dance, Kelp Head!" Thalia shouted over the music.

I nodded cautiously. One does not refuse Thalia Grace.

"What about Nico?" I asked nervously, not wanting to anger him anymore than I already had with our last confrontation.

Thalia snorted. "It's not like we're dating or anything, jeez. Besides, he's not even here yet, and I want to dance with my favorite cousin."

"I'm your only cousin." I muttered under my breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, just that you're my favorite cousin too!"

"Right answer, Kelp Head."

With that, Thalia took me by the arm and led me to the center of the dance floor. There was some loud hip hop song on, but Thalia held her hand up and waved to the DJ. Promptly after, the hip hop song gave way to a Green Day song. Thalia turned back to face me with a grin on her face.

"I have friends in high places," she explained.

"I never asked," I grumbled.

"Yeah, but I explained anyways," she said, a smirk on her face.

Thalia was already starting to irritate me and it hadn't been more than forty seconds of us dancing together. I forced myself, with great difficulty might I add, to calm down and enjoy myself. Being angry and stressed wasn't doing my mental or physical state any good, so I might as well try to loosen up a little. Dancing there at the subway tunnel reminded me of the times in my childhood when Thalia would come over and force me to dance with her, using violence if she needed to.

The memories brought a begrudging grin to my face, and she noticed. "What?" Thalia asked, a grin on her own face.

I shook my head. "Nothing, it's just that I was remembering our dancing shenanigans from when we were kids."

Thalia laughed loudly. "Oh yeah! Remember when I punched you everytime you messed up a dance move?"

"You punched me even when I got them right. I think that you just enjoyed hurting me." I grumbled.

"Well, you became a better dancer, right?" Thalia demanded, still smirking obnoxiously.

"Whatever." I muttered, and she shook her head.

"Well, I see Nico, so I'm gonna go now. Besides, there's a certain someone waiting all by her lonesome at the punch bowl," Thalia said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

I turned towards the punch bowl, and found Annabeth standing there somewhat shyly, a cup of punch in her hand. By the time I turned around, Thalia was already gone. With a sigh, I made my way over to the punch bowl. Maybe I would find out what's been eating at Annabeth.

The second I got to the punch bowl, Annabeth saw me and her eyes widened comically. Quickly, she turned on her heels to run away (yeah, real mature, I know), but I caught her and spun her around. She looked at the ground, not meeting my eyes, blushing profusely.

"Why do you keep running away from me?" I demanded, cutting straight to the chase.

Annabeth made tiny circles with her left foot against the pavement, still not looking up. "I-I'm not avoiding you," she said weakly, very unconvincingly.

"Then how do you explain running away from me every time I try to talk to you?" I pressed, and she wiggled uncomfortably in my grasp.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered. I waited for a while to see if she would offer up an explanation, but it didn't seem like she would.

"Do you know how rough these last few weeks have been for me? I've been so depressed, and I needed you: I needed my best friend, but you ran away everytime I reached out to you." I said, my voice taut with pain.

Annabeth finally looked at me, her eyes blazing. "Yeah well, don't expect me to come running every time the Percy Jackson show doesn't go according to plan," she spat out, and I recoiled.

"Whoa, where did that come from?" I asked.

Annabeth shoved me away from her, but she didn't run. Instead, she looked at me, eyes blazing. "I'm not someone that you can just use to feel better. I won't drop everything and rush to your aid when you ask me to."

"Using you?" I said incredulously. "Asking a best friend for comfort is not manipulative - that's an obligation!"

"Oh yeah? Then you did a real bang up job when you came back from Chicago! I needed you then, and you gave me the cold shoulder!" Annabeth argued, her voice increasing in intensity.

I stepped back and shook my head. "Okay, first, I was pretty fricking pissed at you for what you did to me before I left. Second, we weren't even friends then, and I hated you with every fiber in my body. Third, you didn't need me for anything - you just didn't want to feel guilty anymore."

Annabeth gaped at me. "Wha- How- Christ, I can't deal with this right now. I'm sorry your life isn't perfect!" Annabeth spat venomously, and then strode away angrily, leaving me alone, baffled, and kind of angry.

_What the hell is wrong with her? _I thought to myself.

Shaking my head, I got some punch and drank in solitude for a while before deciding to leave. Coming to the party was a dumb idea after all. With a sigh, I put my cup down and turned to leave, only to be stopped by the most unlikely person: Bianca.

"Percy? Is that you? Oh my, look how you've grown!" Bianca cried, rushing forward to hug me.

I ran up to meet her. "Jeez, Bianca, you sound like my mother. I haven't seen you in ages," I teased after we broke apart.

She pointed her finger at me accusingly. "_You_ never visited."

I looked away sheepishly, rubbing the back of neck nervously. "Yeah, well, Nico and I had a little falling out."

Bianca laughed, and I looked at her in confusion. "Oh Percy, since when did you take things so seriously? He's already forgiven you - he's just waiting for you to go back and talk to him," she explained, still giggling slightly.

"What? Really?" I asked confusedly, craning my neck to see him dancing with Thalia.

Bianca followed my gaze and turned back to smile at me. "Yes, really! You should go talk to him at school on Monday. I know that he wants his best friend back," she explained.

"Yeah, I'll do that." I said, my mood considerably better.

She gave me a once over and frowned. "Leaving so soon?" Bianca asked curiously.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I'm feeling a little under the weather."

"Oh, well before you go, dance with me." Bianca said, making it clear through her tone that it was not a request.

"Sure." I said, not minding spending more time with her.

Again, I found myself being dragged to the dance floor by a female that had a strong impact in my early life. Bianca was like the big sister that I never had, and she helped me out on more than one occasion. Unlike Annabeth, she didn't shirk her responsibility to me when I was being bullied in school. She would frequently stop kids from bullying me, and would often let me sit with her friends at lunch when I didn't have anywhere else to sit.

We danced and talked, catching up on all the years that we were apart from each other, and for the first time in weeks, I found myself truly enjoying myself. I told her everything about Chicago, all the way up to the break up. Something about Bianca's presence was like a balm that soothed my hurts. It was kind of like the presence of a motherly figure that helped you up and told you things would be okay when you fell down and hurt yourself. She gave me some advice on how to cope, having survived many break ups before.

"Okay, write this down. Here is Bianca Di Angelo's official break up shopping list, items that will help you heal your heart!" She declared in a marketer's voice, and I laughed.

I mimed pulling out an invisible notebook and pen. "Okay, ready!"

"Okay, Item 1: Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream - a must have for all dumpees. Item 2: A box set of your favorite movie franchise, preferably in Blu-Ray. Item 3: A very _very_ comfortable blanket. Item 4-" Bianca said, and I dutifully mimed writing down everything she said until someone interrupted us.

It was Thalia again, and she had a nervous look on her face. "Hey, Bi! Can I borrow Percy here for a sec?" she asked, and Bianca readily agreed. I said goodbye to her just as Thalia wheeled me away from her.

"What's up?" I asked when Thalia pulled me away.

She had a nervous expression on her face, looking away at the dance floor for a second before looking back. "It's Annabeth - she's drunk. I can't drive her home since she drove here, but I did too and I can't leave my car behind. Can you drive her home?" she asked, and I nodded instantly.

Annabeth might have pissed me off, but she was still my best friend, and it was better to get her home before she did anything stupid. I certainly wasn't going to let her drive home drunk.

"Yeah sure, where is she?" I asked, and Thalia pointed over to the dance floor where Annabeth was dancing in a drunken haze, oblivious to her surroundings.

I gave Thalia a confident nod before turning away and heading in her direction. When she saw me, a languid grin spread across her face.

"Pershy!" Annabeth squealed, her voice high pitched.

"Annabeth, I gotta get you home," I said, tugging on her arm, but she wouldn't move.

"NO! I don't wanna go home!" she whined childishly. "I wanna dance! I wanna dance the night away!" she sang horribly, causing me to cringe.

"Umm, we should really get home. Your parents are getting worried," I lied.

"Hah! Liar! My parents are out of town for a business trip, and Bobby and Matthew have a babysitter. Liar liar pants on fire!" Annabeth declared, looking at me smugly.

I sighed and dragged my hand across my face. This was going to be harder than I thought.

"Dance with me, and then I'll go _home_ with you," Annabeth giggled, saying "home" in a very suggestive manner.

The only thing I could think at that moment was that girls, Annabeth in particular, are pretty fucking weird. "Umm, sure." I said.

For the third time that night, a girl pulled me onto the dance floor and began to dance with me. Only exception was that Annabeth was dancing rather lewdly, gyrating suggestively against me. Instead of taking advantage of her, I attempted to straighten her, but she went boneless on me to prevent me from doing so. Eventually, I just gave up, and maintained a safe distance between the both of us. However, everytime I backed away from her, Annabeth would only come closer to me.

At one point, she turned to face me, catching me by surprise and threw her arms around my neck, swaying to the beat of the music. My nose wrinkled when the smell of alcohol from her breath reached them. She giggled and poked my nose.

"That's _so_ cute!" Annabeth squealed, poking it again for effect. "It looks like a little piggy! A wrinkly wittle piggy!" she crooned, making me feel thoroughly uncomfortable.

"Okay, that's it. We're going home now." I said authoritatively, but she giggled again, making me feel uneasy.

"Ooh! We're going _home_ now, huh? I get it!" Annabeth said suggestively, a lazy grin spreading across her face.

I frowned. "That's not what I meant! I have to drive you home so that you don't crash into a tree or something."

Annabeth ran a finger up and down my neck, sending shivers running through my body. "You don't have to be coy with me, Percy," she whispered suggestively, and I shook her off.

"Okay, enough - I'm getting you home now."

I dragged Annabeth along with me, heading out of the subway tunnel. After some struggle, we located her car and retrieved her keys from her pockets (don't ask). It took a few minutes and a lot of threatening on my end to buckle her into her seat. Finally, I found myself driving towards my house. I called her dad to tell him that she would be staying overnight at my place, and he readily accepted. Once I finally made it onto my driveway, I unbuckled my seat belt and made to leave when Annabeth tugged on my sleeve to make me stay.

With a sigh, I said, "Yes, Annabeth?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "For freaking out at you back at the party," she clarified.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." I said, plastering a strained smile to my face.

"No, it's not. I didn't help because I promised-" she began before stopping abruptly and blanching.

"Promised? Promised what?" I asked, but Annabeth shook her head. She didn't seem drunk, but the alcohol had apparently loosened her tongue.

"Promised what?" I pressed, repeating my question.

"I can't tell. I'm sorry. I'll stop avoiding you from now on though," she offered, but I wasn't convinced.

I realized at this point that I wasn't going to get anything more out of her, and so I left her alone as we walked into my house and got ready to sleep.

That night, I rested on the ground, staring up at the ceiling, unable to sleep because I was too depressed. Annabeth went to sleep immediately, but she was tossing and turning, whispering things feverishly in her sleep.

"No... promised... won't make him... fall..."

I couldn't make heads or tails of what she was saying, but it certainly captured my interest. Then suddenly, Reyna's voice echoed through my head.

_Please, for me. I can't see you this hurt anymore. It's making me die on the inside. Promise you'll forgive._

That's right.

I had promised that I would try to forgive Annabeth for her. I hadn't really given much thought about my promise until now since I was wrapped up in my depression. When I thought about it, I realized that I _could_ forgive Annabeth. Her mistakes were grievous, but they weren't irredeemable. Besides, Annabeth had proven to me that she deserved my forgiveness, and I didn't know how much longer I could maintain my mindless vendetta against her.

It was time to forgive, but I wasn't going to forget. It would be folly for me to trust her with every fiber in my being like I used to; she couldn't go back to being that shining angel that could do no wrong in my eyes anymore. However, I was going to make an effort to try to trust her, little by little.

After all, I had promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter is so outlandishly bad, it could have been an April Fool's joke. I apologize, but after that last chapter, I think anything that I write will be trashy in comparison. This is a filler chapter mostly, but there was plot development - Annabeth's keeping away to stay true to her promise to Reyna, Bianca informs Percy that Nico is still willing to be his friend, and Percy is willing to forgive Annabeth to stay true to his promise to Reyna. All that plus a little Robert Frost reference at the end. Hurray! To be honest, there's not much more left to the story. Rest assured, there will be no Bianca side romance - she was actually going to die this chapter, but then Nico would Percy and that would set the story back. There will be a couple more chapters, definitely not more than thirty, and it will end. Thanks for reading, and as always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**


	25. Nothing Has To Happen

**Nothing Has To Happen**

**Percy's POV:**

"Make sure you grab some popcorn! I'll go save us some seats," Calypso called out with a smile.

I pulled a strained smile and nodded, heading over to the confection stand. I wasn't sure what I was doing if I was being perfectly honest; mostly trying to fulfill Reyna's request to go see some other people and to see if I could truly forgive those that had wronged me. Dating Calypso two months after I broke up with Reyna probably wasn't the smartest idea that I'd ever had, but I was sick of moping around and feeling depressed, and Calypso truly seemed to be different from her middle school years.

We'd been forced to spend some time together because of a social studies project, and we gradually befriended one another. She spent a lot of her time nowadays volunteering at soup kitchens downtown, and she said that it had completely changed her outlook on everything. She certainly seemed a lot nicer and more genuine; she had stopped hanging out with Drew and Silena entirely and spent most her time alone these days, off by herself. It actually made me kind of sad. It wasn't long after till she asked me out on a date, and I decided that it wouldn't be too bad to go.

After getting the ridiculously overpriced popcorn from a bored college student, I made my way back to the theater and searched for Calypso. She was sitting up by the top and had managed to find a seat in the middle. She eagerly waved to me and I smiled back at her, trying to feel as excited as I should be. Part of me wondered if I was just using her as a rebound girl, but I wanted to think that I wasn't. It was just that after the break-up, a general apathy had set into me, and this was me trying to break out of it.

The lights dimmed a short while later, and the movie began to play, but I began to zone out. I started thinking about Annabeth, a thing that I'd taken to doing a lot nowadays. I wondered what was going to happen between us. If we would ever go back to being the friends that we used to be back in grade school. Slowly, I am realizing that I do want that, that I do want things to go back to the way that they used to be, but I also know that that's a fallacy. We can't go back per se, but we can go forward, and I think that's what I truly want.

The colossi have slowly faded, faded into the black. There's not much else there anymore. Just me. It feels oddly quiet and empty, but it feels calm - not happy or sad, just calm. It's a neutrality that I don't entirely understand, but I'm not sure that I'm meant to understand it. I think that I'm realizing that I don't really even know myself anymore. I'm left wondering if I ever did.

Somehow the movie's done at this point, and Calypso looks over at me, her eyes shining brightly. "Well, what did you think? Did you like it?" she asked eagerly. She was the one that chose the movie after all.

Instead of lying, I decided to be honest. "To be honest, I was too tired to pay attention. With swim practice, school work, and some emotional stuff, I kind of zoned out. I'm really really sorry," I said, feeling embarrassed.

A look of hurt passes through her eyes and it kills me, but then she goes back to being cheery in a second. "Oh, that's alright. I've had days where I've just wanted to crash too," she said.

I laughed. "Well, try feeling like that for about a month. I'm tired sometimes, and I haven't even done anything," I admitted with a sigh. This apathy had also come hand in hand with lethargy, and it made it impossible to get anything done or to feel interested about anything. It's gotten to the point where I have to give myself a pep talk every morning just to roll out of bed. Depression has just been hitting me pretty hard, and I felt sad that Calypso had to put up with that.

We both started walking out of the theater, and when we reached the ticket counter on our way out, I stopped in my tracks. Annabeth was staring at the both of us with wide eyes and undisguised pain glimmering within them. Thalia was next to her with her back turned to us, ordering their tickets. Annabeth met my eyes, and I felt like my heart had turned into a black hole that was trying to suck me up from the inside out.

"Hey, Annabeth!" Calypso called out cheerily, blissfully unaware of what was happening between us.

Annabeth looked at her for a second before turning and running away, tears in her eyes. Thalia at this point had turned around, and narrowed her eyes when she saw Annabeth storming away and Calypso and I standing there a few feet away. Tickets in hand, Thalia came over with a stony expression, and I turned quickly to Calypso.

"Umm, I have to talk with my cousin for a second. I'll just meet you in the parking lot," I said quickly.

Calypso looked at me carefully for a second before nodding and walking away. Not a second later, Thalia grabbed my shoulder and wheeled me towards her, fury crackling in her blue eyes like shards of lightning. With a snarl, she shoved me against the wall of the movie theater lobby.

"What the hell are you doing?" she hissed.

"I was watching a movie with Calypso," I said measuredly.

Thalia stared at me with disbelief. "Are you actually retarded or are you just cruel?" she spat.

I blinked before turning angry. "Why the hell do you care who I go out with?"

"I don't, but Annabeth does, and she means a hell of a lot more to me than my idiot cousin!" she whispered intensely.

I felt shame course through me. "Do you have any idea how much you just hurt her?" Thalia demanded, yanking on the collar of my shirt.

"Percy, after you left, Annabeth was a total mess. She wouldn't eat, she could barely sleep, and she was morbidly depressed. She tormented herself every single day, thinking about how badly she had screwed things up with you. You came back, and she was ecstatic, glad that she could finally fix things, but what she didn't realize was that you had changed. You didn't care for her anymore and so you cut her with words every time she tried to make things better. She probably wouldn't want me to say this, but she needs you, and all you've done since you've gotten back is hurt her. I don't know who you are and what you did with my cousin, but I want him back. _Annabeth_ wants him back," Thalia said, her voice cracking.

"She wants him back, Perce. She just wants her Seaweed Brain back," Thalia said softly, staring intensely into my now watering eyes before releasing me.

Thalia walked away from me to go find Annabeth, and I shakily made my way over to the food court and sat down, thinking about what Thalia had said. She was right; I truly had neglected Annabeth's feelings. When I look back on some of the awful, awful things that I've said to Annabeth over this past year, I don't feel that self-righteous sense of justice anymore. I can't really sort out what it is that I am feeling, but I think that it might be disgust. When I look back at my actions, I don't see myself perpetrating them; I see a different Percy, one that I would be embarrassed to know, doing these things. It's only now dawning on me that I've become as bad as the people that I swore never to be like.

_"Save your bull shit for someone that cares. The only reason you're sorry is because you missed the chance to sleep with another guy."_

_"No girl should be treated like that. Even you."_

_"Don't get mad at me – be mad at yourself!"_

_"Get up! Don't try to make me feel sorry for you."_

_"You disgust me."_

I shut my eyes as hot tears burned behind them. Had I really said all that? What kind of a person could say such things to another human being? How far had I truly fallen? How much of a death grip did hatred have on me? Most of all, how was I ever going to remedy all that I'd said? Was I really so wrapped up in wanting Annabeth to feel the hurt that she'd caused me that I'd overstepped my bounds?

Everything was striking me like a bolt of lightning, and I felt so ashamed of myself. Forget about forgiving Annabeth - how was I ever going to forgive myself? More importantly, how was Annabeth ever going to forgive all that I'd done to her? In this light, I was just as bad as Luke, maybe even worse, because I was her friend. I was the friend that swore never to hurt her, and only now was I realizing the true extent of the pain that I'd caused her. I loved her, and I had broken her down mercilessly.

When I opened my eyes, a fierce light gleamed within them. I had to find Annabeth and I had to apologize.

* * *

"Coming back full circle, huh?" I asked, leaning against the lockers in the locker room.

Annabeth stepped out of the shadows, looking gaunt and weary. It was only now that I noticed how much she seemed to have aged. She had worry lines and weariness etched into her face. Guilt racked against me like a drill.

"Why am I here, Percy?" she asked tiredly.

We were standing in the locker room from back in middle school, where my entire world ended. It was only fitting that I came back to start a new one, a better one, built upon forgiveness and understanding. I suddenly felt nervous, standing there with my heart on the line and guilt on my hands.

"Annabeth, I just-" I began before she cut me off.

"You know, I've been thinking a lot these past few weeks," she started, sitting on a bench.

I blinked in response. "I feel so _tired_, Percy, you have no idea. I don't have any more will, any more energy left inside me. I've fought and fought, and now I'm finally done. I've got nothing left to give anymore," she said softly.

"Annabeth, what're you saying?" I asked nervously.

She looked up at me, her gray eyes swimming with pain and suffering. "It's time for me to face the facts, Percy. You and I, we aren't meant for each other. I don't know what I was thinking, fighting tooth and nail for a relationship that I had ultimately dragged to hell, but I can see now what I was once blind to. You and I; we're different people now. I'm not the girl that you knew in middle school, and you're not the guy I've known since kindergarten. You've changed, I've changed, and the fact is that we're no longer compatible," she said.

"What're you talking about? We're friends now, aren't we?" I challenged her, feeling dread coursing through my body.

Annabeth snarled and stood up, pointing to her face. "Look at me! Do I look like a seventeen year old? This is what our 'friendship' has done to me! This is what years of regret, of guilt, of shame, of misery have created. Ever since you left, I was an absolute and complete wreck. Not a day went by that I wished that I could have turned the clock back, that I wished I could have done something different, that I could have saved you instead of forsaking you. My own mind became my worst enemy, and I tortured myself with the knowledge that I fucked up."

I looked at her with shock. "Then you came back, and I thought that I had a chance to fix everything, to atone for my mistakes. But what I didn't realize was that I disgusted you. You hated me, and everything that I tried to do seemed to insult you. Every word you spoke to me cut me like hot knives. I am sick and tired of trying to hold onto you when you don't even want me around. Now, you're dating Calypso, a girl that actually _intentionally_ tormented you in your childhood, and you gave me so much shit for making an innocent mistake when I was too young and dumb to know what I was doing or what I wanted. And I've realized that I've just had enough! I just can't do this anymore, trying so desperately to win back the boy I've loved since childhood when he doesn't even see me as a human being anymore," she fumed.

She met my eyes, and again I was struck by how much suffering I saw inside them. Had I really done this to the girl that I loved? Had I really sunk this low? How hadn't I noticed? Why hadn't I stopped myself? Why did I always have to mess everything up?

"Look, I know I screwed up, but, Percy, it was an _honest, stupid mistake_. What you're doing to me is cruel - you're doing this consciously. You're trying to break me down, and I surrender; you've won and I hope you're happy," she said tearfully.

"Annabeth, I am so sorry-" I began, but she cut me off.

"You haven't accepted a single one of my apologies since you've gotten back. Give me one good reason why I should accept yours," she demanded angrily.

My inhibitions all flew out the window as I spoke the words that I'd been trying to deny for nearly half a decade. "Because I love you," I whispered.

For a second there was absolute silence in the room, and then a sound echoed like a gunshot and I held my stinging cheek in shock. Annabeth's hand was still up in the air as she stared at me with white-hot fury swimming in her gray eyes. My eyes started to tear up and I looked down in shame, trying not to let her see my tears. Then suddenly, I felt her hands on my face, and the taste of peppermint and strawberries exploded into my mouth as she kissed me hard. My hands instinctively went to her hips as her fingers curled into my hair, and I pulled her closer, trying to deepen the kiss.

Then just like that, Annabeth stepped away, tears streaming down her face as she stared back at me in agony. "Nothing has to happen between us, Percy. In fact, I think that it's better if we just left each other alone. After all, that's what you've always wanted, isn't it?" she choked out.

I stepped forward, trying to make her understand that I was sorry. "Annabeth-" I began.

She stepped back, away from me, and turned away. "Goodbye, Percy," she said curtly, leaving me alone as she ran out of the locker room.

I stood there dumbly, feeling unhealthy amounts of deja vu as my past and present coalesced to form a painful tapestry. With a pain-ridden scream, I punched the nearest locker to me as tears fell down my face. All I could think was one sole thought:

_What have I done?_

* * *

**Song Choice: "Adagio for Strings" by Samuel Barber (Even if you don't like classical music, give this one a listen. It goes perfectly with the chapter!)**

**A/N: Oh my god, I actually managed to write a new chapter after like three months. Wow, that's pretty impressive (sarcasm). Okay, if this chapter didn't make up for the wait, I'm just going to have to stop writing. I think that this was the best chapter yet - I just love it. I kinda needed to pick things up a little bit, so I apologize if things seem sudden. You have no idea how badly I suffered from writer's block with this story, but this all came to me in a day. Percy finally realizes that he's been doing a bunch of stuff wrong too, but by now, he's kind of screwed up to the point where Annabeth's just given up on their friendship. This is just some good ole fashioned teenage drama! Oh, I love it! Anyhow, I hope you guys and gals (not being sexist) liked the chapter, and as always: Follow, Favorite, and Review!**

**PS: I am so evil! Muhahaha! Also, please read my new story on Fictionpress called "Light on Broken Glass." It's a really personal story to me and it pretty much features me as the main character, so you guys can gain a little bit more insight into my mind. I am super excited about it, and I would be ecstatic if you could just spare a few minutes to give it a read. Thanks!**


	26. Super Special Note

**Note**

**So I'm looking for someone to beta for me. I just want to try it out to see if I like it, so PM me if you're interested. If you send a request via review, I will _conveniently_ pretend that I did not see it, so PM me, plox. Just refer me to read the best piece of writing that you've produced, I'll give it a read, and if I think we could work together well, I'll let you know. **

**It won't be super intensive or anything, so it's not like you're going to be constantly harassed by me. I'm usually pretty self-contained, but it would be super cool to have someone that I could bounce ideas off of and have proof-read/advise me on things. Bear in mind that you don't need to be a super angsty writer like me - I'm just looking for stylistic criteria, so recommend what you do best, not what I think would be best. **

**Here are a couple prerequisites you need for the job (Oh boy, another list! I worship lists):**

- Please spell properly. _Please?_  
- You need some pretty kick-butt grammar skillz (ideally better than me, which shouldn't be hard at all)  
- A versatile, well developed vocabulary is always nice  
- Be open to my craziness, particularly when it comes to pairings - I like to push boundaries

**... and that's it for prerequisites!**

**Fair Warning: I take my writing very seriously, so I expect you to do the same. I'm going to be honest about things, and I expect the same treatment from you, but that doesn't give you an excuse to insult the snot out of me, as amusing as that would be. If I don't pick you or if I do and tell you that I'd rather not have a beta later on, it's not anything wrong you did; it's just me not seeing anything beneficial happening. I'll apologize here if I'm being rude or callous. **

**Here are types stories I will NOT read if you are using them as your "audition" sample:  
**

- Adventure OC Stories  
- Lemons  
- Chaos Stories  
(I would prefer reading one-shots, but it doesn't matter too much in the long run)

**If you're using a multi-chaptered story as your sample, then please select ONE chapter that you think is the best. You might think this might be tricky because I might not have a clue as to what's going on, but I'm not looking for plot as much as I'm looking for style, so it's all good. **

**In the event that I do select a beta, I am definitely open to making it a two-way relationship. If you want me to help out with stuff or if you just need a buddy to bounce ideas off of, then I'll be more than willing to help out. We can be mutual betas, unless you think I suck at writing and that I shouldn't even consider helping you, haha. **

**That should be about it! I'll be taking this post down next Friday which is also the deadline for your "applications". Then I'll select one person or I might not if I feel like it's not worth it. If you don't hear from me in two weeks, then that means, unfortunately, that you weren't chosen. Well, that should be it. Remember to PM NOT review, but other than that, I think everything important has been said. Pea Soup!**


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